There’s no escaping the fact that sport is as much about money as it is anything else. Certainly, when you look at the likes of the English Premier League, there are players said to be worth many millions while teams are in a position to generate much much more. So, when a player picks up an injury, it’s bad news for a team in more than one way.
Of course, the absence of a top player will impact a match and too many absences will likely lead to a losing streak. While this will have an impact on where a team may finish in a league or other tournament, it will also have an impact on the financial side of things. By failing to win teams don’t pick up their financial rewards. They miss out here and then also face the prospect of paying for a player's treatment.
Over at NHL lines site Betway, research has been carried out into the true financial cost of injuries and we’re going to take a look at their findings.
The financial cost
While injuries may have led to poorer performances on the ice, there is no escaping the fact that the financial impact is huge. Here's a look at what Betway has discovered:
- During 2017 the Canadiens paid over $9 million for 908 injury days
- The year 2018 saw the Coyotes paying costs just short of $12 million for 968 injury days
- The Red Wings, during 2019, faced costs of over $26 million for a whopping 1,620 injury days
- During 2020, the Stars saw costs of almost $38 million for 1,839 injury days
- 2021 saw the Canadiens pay over $33 million for 2,755 injury days
- The total costs faced by the NHL for all injury costs over five years was $1, 234, 586, 375.77
These figures are surely reason enough for teams to take greater steps towards reducing injuries and keeping players on the ice.
Success requires a massive bankroll
The reality is that sports teams increasingly need deep pockets. That’s because the costs associated with attracting the very best talent are only heading one way: up. When a team is struggling financially you can be sure that is reflected in performance and a downward spiral begins.
The financial impact of injuries has a knock-on effect on the well-being of the team as a whole and can soon have even wider consequences. You can be sure that these consequences will stop the best talent from joining the team.
The cost of relegation
When top players are out of the team because of injury, we have already looked at the fact that more matches are likely to be lost. When enough of these are lost, teams are left in a position where relegation is inevitable. When this happens, the financial consequences are dire.
Being relegated in any sport sees a loss of TV rights, and these are a huge source of income. It also leads to a reduction in sponsorship and even in the number of fans that buy merchandise. This is where the full impact of injuries is felt as once a team goes down this route it is extremely hard to recover.
