Basketball, Activity And Related Equipment
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Sports & Recreation Equipment · CPSC Code 1205
Down 35% over 5 years
The verdict
Basketball, Activity And Related Equipment carry a danger score of 43/100 (moderate risk), driven by roughly 450,967 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 35% over the last five years.
- 43/100
- danger score (moderate risk)
- 450,967
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 1.3%
- end in hospital admission
- 15-24
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 1205 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 43/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for basketball, activity and related equipment - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume450,967 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)1.3%
- Fatality rate0.02%
- 5-year trend-35%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Basketball, Activity And Related Equipment (CPSC product code 1205, in the Sports & Recreation Equipment category) generate an estimated 450,967 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 9.0M ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 43/100 for this category (moderate risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are declining by about 35% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2012 (569,746 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2020 (214,847 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for basketball, activity and related equipment is strain, sprain to the ankle, accounting for approximately 1.7M visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by strain, sprain to the knee (521,436 cases). The 15-24 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 4.2M cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 1.3% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer, and a small fraction (0.02%) result in fatality.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 13 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how basketball, activity and related equipment fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 26,185 | 7,921 | |
| 5-14 | 2.1M | 892,046 | |
| 15-24 | 3.6M | 677,251 | |
| 25-34 | 943,983 | 79,809 | |
| 35-44 | 397,601 | 43,950 | |
| 45-54 | 165,754 | 19,092 | |
| 55-64 | 48,946 | 7,660 | |
| 65-74 | 13,177 | 5,130 | |
| 75+ | 5,316 | 2,136 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Ankle | Strain, Sprain | |
| Knee | Strain, Sprain | |
| Finger | Strain, Sprain | |
| Finger | Fracture | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Knee | Other | |
| Head | Concussion | |
| Wrist | Strain, Sprain | |
| Ankle | Fracture | |
| Ankle | Other | |
| Mouth | Laceration | |
| Foot | Strain, Sprain | |
| Wrist | Fracture | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
29YOM C/O KNEE/LOWER LEG PROBLEM. PAIN IN LEFT KNEE WHICH STARTED WHILE PLAYING BASKETBALL. RADIOGRAPHS NEGATIVE FOR ACUTE INJURY. DX: SPRAIN OF UNSPECIFIED SITE OF LEFT KNEE
38 YOM C/O WRIST PAIN S/P FALL WHILE PLAYING BASKETBALL. DX: WRIST PAIN
23YOM, C/O FOOT/ANKLE INJURY AFTER PLAYING BASKETBALL, JUMPED UP, LANDED ON FOOT & FELT PAIN DX: SMALL AVULSION BASE OF LEFT 5TH METATARSAL
14YOF PATIENT WAS AT BASKETBALL PRACTICE, SHE FINISHED PRACTICE AND PASSED OUT, UNSURE IF SHE HIT HER HEAD, REPORTS A HEADACHE DX: NONINTRACTABLE HEADACHE, SYNCOPE AND COLLASPE
25YOM, TWISTED ANKLE PLAYING BASKETBALL, DX RIGHT ANKLE SPRAIN
33YOM WAS PLAYING BASKETBALL TWISTED LOWER BACK DX:LUMBAR STRAIN
13YOM ROLLED LEFT ANKLE PLAYING BASKETBALL DX: STRAINED ANKLE
14YOM TWISTED RIGHT ANKLE PLAYING BASKETBALL DX RIGHT ANKLE PAIN
17YOM HAD RIGHT ARM GRABBED DURING A BASKETBALL GAME TWISTING RIGHT SHOULDER DX SHOULDER PAIN
19YOM TWISTED RIGHT ANKLE PLAYING BASKETBALL DX STRAINED ANKLE
26YOM WAS PLAYING BASKETBALL TWISTED LEFT ANKLE DX FRACTURED ANKLE
13 YOM C/O KNEE PAIN S/P PLAYING IN BASKETBALL GAME. DX: KNEE PAIN
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
On July 30, 2020, a 34-year old male was using an Extreme Series Goal System Basketball Goal (the "basketball goal") which had been installed in the backyard of his home. While using the basketball goal and simply touching the rim, the glass of the basketball goal shattered and struck the man's arm, causing him to suffer severe injuries requiring emergency surgery.
My sons were playing basketball using the Lifetime 50 Inch Shatter Proof Portable Basketball Hoop (model # 71566 | product ID 1411208) we purchased from Amazon on April 13, 2015 and the metal rim detached from the backboard and fell to the ground. Upon inspection we realized the metal broke right behind the springs. Fortunately it didn't fall on anyone but if it did I could have seriously injured them. I'm concerned with the safety f this product and don't want to risk further injury.
On June 22, 2018, 14 year old [REDACTED] was killed when a Goalsetter Systems, Inc. backboard detached from a wall in an indoor basketball court in his family's newly built home and fell on [REDACTED]. The Goalsetter "Installation and Owner's Instructions" for this "Wall Mount Series" backboard contained zero instructions on the minimum requirements for safely installing this 260 lbs. backboard into a wall. Even though the consumer hired, as recommended by Goalsetter, a contractor to install the backboard, Goalsetter failed to provide any warnings or instructions for persons installing the backboard system regarding the dynamic load characteristics or minimum anchoring requirements for installing this backboard. Goalsetter's deliberate and conscious failure to provide information that it possesses regarding the dynamic load and minimum anchoring of this product, makes this product unsafe. In contrast, other household items, such as flat screen TV mounts provide minimum anchoring requirements and information regarding the maximum weight bearing capacity. A copy of the "Installation and Owner's Instructions" is attached. Also attached is a national news article regarding the death. The St. Joseph County Police Department and St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the death and has taken possession of the Goalsetter System and other evidence.
Spalding 54" Acrylic Portable Basketball Hoop. We set it up in the backyard and filled with water. Even with full water, we felt it's not stable and that it's wiggling. We put additional pavers around it for support. However, it looks like the base had an invisible leak and it drained all water and made the entire pole fall on the ground. It was about to fall on my daughters head. luckily she escaped from her injuries. It is unsafe and hazard to other kids life. It is highly danger for anyone to use it. This is poor design and it is built top heavy and the base is relatively weaker.
Play Day Basketball Ball Pit sold and distributed by Walmart. Age range for toy is 2+. The toy has a blue lip that runs around the top of the ball pit which has no functional purpose. My 2 year old grandson was playing as intended in the ball pit. When he went to step out of the pit, his foot got caught on the lip around the top which caused him to trip and fall. The fall was on a wood floor in the living room and resulted in a broken femur.
An 11 yr old neighbor boy was injured when slam dunking a ball on a Spalding in ground basketball hoop. The supporting vertical pole broke in two and the top half fell off , including the rim, backboard, and pole. The boy was struck in the face by the heavy glass backboard and sustained many injuries including broken teeth and jaw. We had it professionally installed in hopes of avoiding anything like this.
Caller's husband purchased "Pool Shark" basketball with container base sometime between the end of 2007 and the end of 2008. The base that holds water for weight is cracking which caller sees as a safety hazard thinking that the adjustable up to 44" pole may fall if cracking continues and possibly harm her 9yr old daughter and 10yr old son or one of their friends. A neighbor informed her that their basketball assembly that is very similar to hers with the exception of color and manufacturer has lasted ten years and is still in fairly good shape. She would request for the basketball assembly to be replaced at manufacturer expense stating that the base began cracking in 2009 but that she had not reported due to the unexpected necessity of nursing her husband during an extreme illness and losing him in 2011.
We purchased a Spalding Portable Basketball hoop with a black plastic base December 2008. We keep it in our backyard and use it frequently. On December 20, 2012, my 13 year old son and his friend were playing basketball when the plastic base cracked, and the pole came crashing down, delivering a glancing blow to my son's friend. It wasn't that that the whole pole tipped, base and all. The Base itself actually cracked to the point that the pole, backboard and basket separated from the base and fell over. The child it hit was also 13 years old. No unusual play - such as dunking, hanging or other unreasonable activity was occurring when this happened. His father was at our home and saw it happen before his eyes. Our son's friend went to urgent care, and fortunately, his shoulder is bruised but he continued to have pain and treatment for almost 30 days. This is designed to be an outdoor product. It should be able to withstand Southern California weather without compromising its structural integrity. There is no way this should have cracked to this extent. The injury could have been SO much worse. I think this is a safety hazard. We did file a complaint with Spalding, but their analysis was that it was not a product defect. We STRONGLY disagree with their assessment. This is defective and can cause much more serious injury. Since Spalding doesn't accept responsibility, we must report this to the CPSC to protect other consumers.
Showing 8 of 13 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to basketball, activity and related equipment on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are basketball, activity and related equipment?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, basketball, activity and related equipment have a danger score of 43/100 (moderate risk). An estimated 450,967 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from basketball, activity and related equipment?
The most common injury is strain, sprain to the ankle, accounting for approximately 1.7M injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from basketball, activity and related equipment increasing or decreasing?
Down 35% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for basketball, activity and related equipment injuries?
The 15-24 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 4.2M cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by basketball, activity and related equipment?
Of all ER visits involving basketball, activity and related equipment, approximately 1.3% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (98.7%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with basketball, activity and related equipment?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Sports & Recreation Equipment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 43/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 15-24 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
