The Complicated Truth for Athletes
Sports fans here in the Cincinnati area are certainly aware that Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton’s recent thumb fracture cost him the last several games of the season. Besides being a hard pill to swallow for the team and fans alike, it also brings up the somewhat divisive topic of whether or not professional athletes should receive workers compensation when injured on the job. This is an issue that is still being worked out across the nation, and there are few hard-and-fast answers as of yet, though there are certainly some interesting events that have unfolded in the past couple of years.
Case Study: California
Most notably, the state of California passed a law in early 2014 that banned professional athletes from filing for workers compensation in that state. The NFL pushed for this law to be passed so that they would have less to pay out over time, but the immediate result of the law’s passing was a rush by athletes to file claims before the law was set to take effect. So many claims coming through at once hit the league hard, and there is pushback from athletes all over the country who think the injury law is unjust.
Players and their families argue that sports is one of the most dangerous professions on the planet, and that the players should be covered just like any employee who maybe injured on the job. The league and others argue that the intrinsic nature of the profession – being in the entertainment industry, receiving large incomes, and public exposure, as well as the obvious knowledge by players that they agree to play knowing that they may be injured – somehow negates the application of traditional workers compensation.
What do you think? Should celebrity status, income and willingly participating in a dangerous job rule out workers compensation for athletes? Or should all workers be covered, regardless of the nature of their jobs?
To learn more about Cincinnati workers compensation law or to speak with a Cincinnati workers comp attorney, contact us here at Clements, Taylor, Butkovich & Cohen, LPA, Co. today: 513.721.6500.