
Elite players at higher risk of injury
An interesting investigative article was published in South Florida Sun Sentinel about the upper echelons of youth travel baseball. Some of it’s subtitles and headers were Bidding Wars, Cutthroat Baseball, The Parent, Injuries, The Owners, The Prospect, The Wild West, and Big benefits/No guarantees. Like it or not, travel baseball has carved out a significant niche in the youth baseball market.
From a sports insurance perspective, travel teams represent an increased risk of injury and liability as compared to recreation teams. This is due to higher level of competition with stronger bodies, higher speeds, and more risk taking, more games on the schedule, travel exposure, and exposures of motel downtime. Another injury risk is burned out arms from year round baseball. See the SA Baseball Medical/Safety Advisory Committee report on Youth Baseball Pitching Injuries that cites the total pitches thrown per year as the number one predictor of youth arm and shoulder injuries