Injuries associated with basketball and cycling are the most frequent sports-related injuries requiring visits to emergency rooms among children ages 5 to 14.
| Approximate Number of Children’s Sports Injuries per Year Requiring Visits to Emergency Rooms |
| Sport Number |
of Emergency Room Visits |
| Basketball and cycling |
475,000 |
| Playground injuries |
206,900 |
| Football |
194,000 |
| Baseball and softball |
117,000 |
| Ice or roller skating, in-line skating, and skateboarding |
109,600 |
| Soccer |
75,000 |
| Trampolines |
80,000 |
| Sledding and skiing/snowboarding |
44,000 |
| Gymnastics |
23,500 |
The most common types of sport-related injuries in children are sprains (mostly ankle), muscle strains, bone or growth plate injuries, repetitive motion injuries, and heat-related illness. Baseball has the highest fatality rate among sports for children ages 5–14 with three or four children dying from baseball injuries each year.
