Professional and Collegiate Athlete Disability Insurance

Last week, I found myself sunk into a comfortable, dark-leather booth, sipping a refreshing Irish ale in one of Los Angeles’ more popular dining establishments.  Despite the loud, crackling chatter from those in my party, my attention was drawn to the various 70 inch television screens projecting images from the bar area.

ESPN was diligently reporting every second of the nervous look on college football great Johnny Manziel’s face while awaiting news of his much-questioned professional future during the first round of the NFL draft.  Other groups were excitedly watching hockey and basketball playoff games on different screens hung throughout the restaurant.

I am continuously amazed at how widespread the influence of professional sports has become and how spectator athletics have permeated the everyday life of the average American.  There are so many junkies who eat, sleep and breathe professional and collegiate sports.  Televised athletics is a many-multi-billion-dollar-a-year business, resting on the flesh and bone shoulders of young male and female athletes throughout the world.

But therein lies a sobering problem; the human body is fragile.  Even the strongest, toughest, most athletic person is vulnerable to fatigue and serious injury.  The constant tearing and pounding of muscles, bones and joints leave an athlete susceptible to both physical and financial disaster.  Without contractual guarantees, a professional athlete faces complete loss of income and certain economic hardship in the event of even a short-term disability.

Depending on the sport, many player contracts leave much of an athlete’s income unprotected in the case of that athlete’s partial, total or permanent disablement.  Contract-specific personal disability insurance is imperative in the world of professional sports, and Petersen International offers an array of carefully constructed disability programs for conventional team-sport athletes, extreme-sport athletes, golfers, jockeys, racecar drivers and any other individuals making a living in professional athletics.

Petersen International Underwriters offers policies that financially indemnify a player’s contract including endorsements and signing bonuses.  Coverage is available to alleviate the risk of an athlete’s loss of skill or value to an employer after a career-altering disability due to accident or illness.  The product can also be designed to guarantee the future contract value of a player and to provide “draft protection” insurance for collegiate athletes hoping to take that next step forward into the professional ranks.

Petersen International is the foremost expert in sports disability insurance with an experienced team of underwriters who have the connections, the rates and the flexibility to provide professional and college athletes with the most progressive insurances in the world.