All posts in Sports

Sports insurance is not just about protecting professional players against injury though it is about that too. It is not just about preventing retirement or a sudden change in circumstances from affecting a players finances though it is about this, as well. Sporting insurance is about protecting all men and women involved with professional and amateur sports of all types from loss of earnings, from injury related expenses, from retirement, from the effects of career changes on investment and forecast profits.

One of the most vulnerable groups of sports people are the men and women who play amateur sports. A serious amateur gives almost as much time to his or her discipline as a professional but he or she does not get paid for doing it. Sports insurance is extremely important to these people, because they have a day job on which they rely to make their money. When you are playing sport with the frequency of a pro, but are using another job to pay your bills, then any injury is both likely and possibly catastrophic. If an injury sustained by an amateur during the course of his or her involvement with a sport, puts him or her out of action for a while, then he or she may suddenly find himself or herself without a pay check and with a family to feed.

Sports insurance takes up the slack in cases like this. Unlike a regular health insurance policy, which is unlikely to cover an amateur sports person in the event of injury, sports cover specifically protects against loss of earnings, and covers medical bills, where a serious injury occurs.

The amateur sports men and sports women are not the only people who get a lot of benefit from a sporting insurance policy. Managers and promoters are also at risk, as far as ordinary insurance and financial protection are concerned. Yet managers and promoters are more likely than most to suffer sudden financial hardship and through no injury of their own, either. If a promoter suddenly loses his or her star investment through injury, what is he or she supposed to do? Sports insurance ensures that promoters and managers have a safety net to fall back on in case one of their protgs or teams causes a sudden reversal in their fortunes.

Professional players of high profile sports have particular risks associated with their jobs and life styles that no regular insurance company is going to touch. Any professional sports man or sports women with a known address are extremely likely to be burgled whenever he or she leaves the country on sporting business. Thieves know both that the house is empty and that it will be full of valuable things. A Sports insurance policy can actually provide bespoke cover for this eventuality as well as cover for any inconvenience or even trauma suffered by relatives and family in the event of a break in.

There is a lot more to sports cover than you might think. If you are in the game, any game, in any way, you could be very well protected indeed.

The beverage industry produces enough soda for every American to consume 52-gallons each year. Although its a mind-boggling amount, the fact of the matter is their industry is stagnating. With soda sales flat, theyre turning to newer products. One of their most popular markets is the educational system. Marketed under the guise of being healthier than plain water, and an implication they are more efficient at meeting hydration needs, sports drinks have become a prominent fixture in many schools. But do they meet those claims, or are they just contributing to the obesity epidemic among U.S. children?

Research by the American College of Sports Medicine has shown that for exercise lasting less than one hour, water is the preferred method of meeting hydration needs. Their research suggests that the loss of electrolytes and carbohydrates from exercise meeting this requirement does not require the burst supplied by sports drinks that one typically gets from a modern sports drink. Their research also has shown that for activities lasting more than one hour, or occurring under intense heat, there are benefits to using sports drinks for hydration. The rapid and continuous loss of minerals under these conditions presents a risk to participants, and replenishing them rapidly improves hydration and athletic performance.

Interestingly enough, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the consumption of water, or a salt-containing flavored beverage to maintain hydration. Not only do they suggest such drinks, but the recommend children consume them regularly, regardless of whether they are thirsty.

Nutritional experts are beginning to question the need for having sports drinks available to kids during regular school hours. The logic of such an argument is that the activities occurring during regular school hours can not justify the extra calories kids consume when drinking these drinks. It has also been suggested that the extra electrolytes, which are just salt compounds, may even contribute to rising blood pressure among kids, when consumed in the absence of physical exertion. While the suggestions are controversial, most regulators are recommending limiting access during school hours, but making these beverages available during after school events and practices.

It seems inevitable that eventually, these drinks will be deemed of little nutritional or functional value for regular school day activities. After all, it doesnt seem reasonable to assume that kids or teens are at risk of becoming deficient in electrolytes while walking between classes. While they certainly offer benefits when consumed during intense exercise, theres little evidence to support the idea that they offer any positive benefits for normal day-to-day activity.