Introduction
There are various kinds of sports with each having rules and regulations that govern it. Some sports are considered risky than others based on the situations that surround them especially in terms of injuries that are endured by the team players (Bird, Black & Newton, 1997). This piece of work looks at Hockey sport in relation to other team sports with much emphasis being given to injuries involved. The facts pertaining to this concept will be addressed from which some inferences and conclusions will be drawn.
Facts Showing Why There Were Fewer Injuries in Hockey than In Other Team Sports
According to the team sport injuries reported in the United States hospitals in 1980, the following are the statistics of injuries that occurred. The football injuries added up to approximately 463,000, those related to soccer 94, 200, those endured by baseball players 442,900 while those in the hockey sport amounted to 36,400 (Baker, 1984). From the above situation and facts, it is evident that the number of injuries that are observed in the hockey sport is relatively lower than that witnessed in other sports for example soccer, baseball and football. The task is now to identify the reasons as to why this is the case
Why Were Fewer Injuries Related to Hockey Reported?
Potential hypothesis
The following are the potential hypothesis that I could come up with in an effort to establish the possible reasons that could have made hockey a special case in regard to injuries, when compared to the other sports. The inferences tend to explain the facts given above in connection to injuries in the different sports (football, baseball, soccer and hockey).
- The players in hockey are tougher
- Hockey is a less dangerous sport
- Hockey is not popular and hence not played often and thus fewer injuries
- The players in hockey are well trained and Safety is a key element in the hockey sport, guided by strict rules.
Potential conclusions / inferences
Based on the understanding that hockey is a dangerous sport, there have been appropriate strategies that have been adopted to reduce the number of injuries. For instance, hockey players always adhere to protective measures such as wearing protective gear. The rules in hockey are also made in a manner that avoids unnecessary injuries as much as possible. Due to its tiring nature, there are numerous chances of resting avoiding injuries. It is therefore clear that even though hockey is a dangerous sport, proper strategies are put in place to minimize cases of injuries.
About the hypothesis (the most likely hypothesis to explain the meaning of the facts).
Although the topic of discussion could be true, that injuries associated with hockey sport are fewer than in other sports (football, baseball and soccer), not all the above hypothesis would be appropriate to support the reasons for the situation as well as the facts mentioned earlier. Hockey is ranked among the dangerous sports especially due to the hockey sticks that could easily cause injuries and the situations in which the sport is played. There could therefore be better reasons as to why there are fewer injuries in hockey rather than some of the above hypothesis. Stating that hockey is a less dangerous sport is not convincing since the circumstances surrounding it are dangerous.
The issue of not being popular is also not a good statement that can justify the occurrence of fewer injuries in hockey. This is because the injury rate is deduced from the sport in general and not on the popularity or frequency. I therefore take the last hypothesis to support the conclusion of the reason for fewer injuries in hockey. Proper training and existence of strict rules that foster safety could contribute to fewer injuries. This hypothesis is logical and could contribute to fewer injuries.
Proper training and the aspect of being safety – conscious can highly reduce the number of injuries in hockey. This has been an aspect that has been missing in other sports, for instance, football where injuries are relatively many. To determine whether or not the hypothesis I support is true, I would need real figures of the injuries including all the circumstances that surrounded the game when the injuries occurred. Current and periodical statistics would also assist in making a reliable conclusion on the issue. All in all one is right to conclude that there are fewer injuries in hockey as compared to football, baseball and soccer based on the figures given and the fact that players are well trained and the rules involved facilitate safety (Ashare, 2004).
Reference list
Ashare, B.A. (2004). Safety in Ice Hockey. New York: ASTM International.
Baker, S. (1984). The Injury Fact Book. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
Bird, R.S., Black, N. and Newton, P. (1997). Sports Injuries: Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment And Prevention. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes.