This is a common question among fans of the two sports who get together for the winter season: hockey and football. Indeed, when the regular season is over and your favourite team is eliminated from the post-season, you often find yourself asking: which was more dangerous?
It’s a fair question, because in the eyes of the law, they are both dangerous sports. They’re both categorized under the heading of ‘participatory sport’, which makes them legal for anyone to play. That makes it all the more important to exercise appropriate caution when watching or taking part in either sport.
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Hockey Is More Dangerous
Let’s take a quick look at the facts. According to the World Health Organization, hockey is one of the most dangerous sports out there. Not only does it fall under the heading of ‘participatory sport’, but it’s also a ‘contact sport’. That means the participants are in close proximity to one another, and there is potential for injury from puck or stick contacts. When comparing that to football, which is also a ‘contact sport’, but lacks the ‘participatory nature’ of hockey, it’s clear that hockey is more harmful to your health.
The most common injuries sustained from hockey are broken bones and concussions. In the 2011-12 season, there were 1,335 registered injuries in total, including 348 concussions. That means that for every 100 hours of hockey that were played, there were 16.35 injuries and 0.85 concussions. Those are horrific figures, and they prove that despite the fact that hockey is usually considered a ‘non-contact sport’, it’s really not. Contact is constantly being made, and the puck can cause a great deal of damage on its own or when hit by a stick or puck. That’s the reality of the game. It’s not like bowling, where the ball is in no way responsible for the injuries it causes. In hockey, it’s the players themselves who are to blame.
The Puck Is Deadlier Than You Think
Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane. Back in the 1960s and ‘70s, hockey pucks were made of wood, and were about the size of a golf ball. In fact, they were so small that they weren’t even considered a part of the game. A puck that small is barely visible to the naked eye, and it was certainly hard to track down and catch. That is, until they started manufacturing plastic pucks. These days, hockey pucks are usually made of plastic, with a steel ring around the circumference to give the ball extra weight. With all the advancements in artificial hockey material, it’s clear that the puck has changed, and so has the game. It now requires more speed and coordination to trap, hold, and maneuver the puck. This is where all the injuries come from. The game has evolved to a point where everyone is always connected to one another, and there is always the risk of a contact injury. Imagine trying to play poker with your fingers crossed behind your back, trying to stay aloof from the pot just long enough to stay in the game. That’s how hard it is to play hockey by the old rules. So much speed and power is packed into these small rubber balls that it’s simply not fair. Everyone is a risk taker in hockey now, because there is always the chance of getting hurt. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to protect yourself or your team’s goalie, because everyone is a potential threat. Playing by the old rules won’t get you anywhere in today’s NHL.
Injuries Are A Casualty Of Game Play
Hockey is a dangerous sport, and it’s not just the physicality of the game that makes it so. You need to remember that it’s a collision sport. Whenever you have two or more teams playing, there is bound to be an injury. That’s just a fact. The game itself is rough, but the hits keep coming. Everyone is out for themselves, and that often leads to injuries. Sometimes it’s something minor, like a contusion or an ache in the joint. Sometimes it’s more serious, like a broken bone. Remember that in hockey, you are always fighting for the puck, and if you want to be on the safe side, you need to be thinking about preventing injuries instead of taking them on.
Football Is More Dangerous
Let’s take a quick look at how football is classified under the law. According to the governing body for football in Canada, it is a ‘contact sport’, but since it lacks a ‘participatory aspect’, it is not considered to be a ‘sport’. That’s a problem, because being a ‘contact sport’ makes it all the more important to take precautions. According to the Canadian Football League, during the 2011-12 season there were 1,555 injuries in total, including 39 concussions. That’s a lot of injuries, and a lot of danger. Imagine if there were no rules in place to protect you from the harm that comes with football. Everyone would be a threat to your health, and no one would be safe. You would constantly have to guard against skull fractures, broken legs, etc. It would be a lot of carnage, and it would be completely preventable. Preventable injuries and deaths are extremely high in football. There are currently 496 registered fatalities due to football, in Canada and the US alone. That’s over 20 fatalities per year.
More People Have Collapsed From Hockey Than Football
Based on the information above, it’s clear that hockey is a much more dangerous sport than football. It has the potential to cause more harm, simply because it’s played in multiple countries and by multiple age groups. The median age of deaths due to hockey is 34. That means that in most cases, the victims were already in their mid- to late 30s when they died. If you are between the ages of 15 and 29, you are more likely to die from hockey than from football. In fact, the only comparable statistic available is that for suicides. Every year, more people take their own lives due to injuries sustained while playing hockey than while playing football.
Which Sport Do You Think Is More Dangerous?
There is a common theme behind the question of which is more dangerous. It comes from a place of safety rather than physicality. The fans of both sports wonder which one causes more injuries and deaths, and it really depends on how you play. If you want to play by the rules as they are, then hockey is the clear choice. Just watch the games and you’ll see what I mean. They are not pretty sights when everyone is lined up against one another, battling for the puck. There is no such thing as a nonviolent hockey game. It’s either fight or flight, and it’s always dangerous. However, if you want to be on the safer side, then football is the clear choice. It lacks the ‘violence’ of hockey, but there is a lot more going on in terms of physicality, more open space, and more collisions. It’s all around more dangerous, but in a different way. If you want to be careful, then football is the clear choice.