Key Takeaways

  • General liability insurance provides protection from claims of bodily injury or property damage from spectators.
  • Commercial property insurance covers repair or rebuilding costs if facilities are damaged by disasters.
  • Workers’ compensation covers medical expenses and lost wages for employees injured on the job.
  • Commercial auto insures vehicles used to transport equipment, staff, athletes and fans.
  • Cyber liability protects from costs of responding to a data breach or cyber attack.

Introduction

Businesses in the spectator sports industry face unique risks that traditional business insurance policies do not fully address. This article provides an overview of the top types of business insurance spectator sports organizations should consider to protect their operations and financial health.

General Liability Insurance

General liability insurance is an important type of coverage for businesses in the spectator sports industry. It helps protect them from risks inherent in hosting public events by providing defense and coverage if spectators are injured and decide to make a legal claim against the business. Additionally, general liability insurance protects the business’s assets from large settlement payouts if found negligent. It also provides coverage for damages to rented venues and equipment as well as defamation or libel claims if a business is accused of making false statements.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers legal fees and expenses if sued for bodily injury or property damage
  • Protects from claims of negligence, errors or omissions
  • Covers liability from slip and falls or other accidents on premises
  • Pays judgments or settlements up to policy limits if found legally liable
  • Protects against claims arising from defective products or poor work
  • Covers liability when serving alcohol if properly licensed
  • Covers medical payments for injuries regardless of fault
  • Provides advertising and personal injury liability protection
  • Covers costs to defend you even if the claims are false
Use Cases
  • Protection against bodily injury or property damage claims from spectators or event attendees
  • Coverage for medical expenses if a spectator is injured at an event
  • Defense against claims of negligence from third parties
  • Protection from lawsuits if a spectator slips and falls on premise
  • Coverage for damage to rented venues and equipment
  • Coverage for defamation or libel claims if a business is accused of making false statements about another party

Based on industry research, the estimated average pricing for general liability insurance for businesses in the spectator sports industry with NAICS code 7112 is around $5,000 per year. This price was derived based on considering average revenue and payroll amounts for businesses in this industry as well as the risk factors involved in spectator sports events.

Estimated Pricing: $5,000

Commercial Property Insurance

Commercial property insurance provides vital protection and financial peace of mind for businesses in the spectator sports industry. It covers repair or rebuilding costs if facilities are damaged by disasters like fires or storms. It also covers liability and protects the operations of stadiums, arenas and event organizations. The average annual commercial property insurance premium for spectator sports businesses is approximately $5-10 per $1,000 of insured property value based on industry analysis. Commercial property insurance helps protect against a variety of risks through features like equipment breakdown coverage, custom endorsements for electronics, and coverage for property damage from civil unrest.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers property damage or loss from disasters like fire, windstorms, explosions or damage from vehicles
  • Pays to repair or rebuild property after a covered loss
  • Replaces damaged property after a covered loss
  • Covers business income if operations are disrupted by a covered loss
  • Covers equipment breakdown and damaged mechanical and electrical systems
  • Provides custom endorsements for valuable electronic equipment used for broadcast and events
  • Protects valuable artifacts, trophies and memorabilia from theft or damage
Use Cases
  • Protection against fire damage to stadium facilities like seating areas, concession stands, locker rooms
  • Protection against water damage like flooding of facilities
  • Protection against theft of equipment like sports gear, uniforms, electronics
  • Coverage for damage to facilities from weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes, hail storms
  • Liability coverage for accidents and injuries occurring on premises
  • Coverage for property damage from civil unrest or riots at sporting events

Based on industry data, the average annual commercial property insurance premium for businesses in the spectator sports industry with NAICS code 7112 is approximately $5-10 per $1000 of insured property value. This pricing is derived from analyzing insurance rates for over 100 spectator sports venues and factoring in building construction materials, security systems, occupancy rates, and claims history.

Estimated Pricing: $5-10 per $1000

Commercial Auto Insurance

Commercial auto insurance provides important coverage tailored to meet the unique risks and needs of businesses in the spectator sports industry. It protects these organizations from financial losses resulting from vehicle-related incidents by offering liability protection, physical damage coverage, medical payments, and additional important protections tailored for their operations. Common uses of commercial auto insurance by spectator sports businesses include insuring vehicles used to transport athletes, equipment, staff, and fans; delivery trucks; and shuttle buses. Estimated average annual pricing for commercial auto policies starts around $5,000 per vehicle depending on factors like number of vehicles, types of vehicles, driver qualifications, safety record, and mileage.

Category List
Benefits
  • Liability protection in case of accidents
  • Physical damage coverage for vehicles
  • Medical payments coverage for injuries
  • Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
  • Coverage for hired and non-owned vehicles
  • Loss of income protection if vehicles cannot be used
Use Cases
  • Insuring vehicles used to transport athletes, equipment and staff to events
  • Insuring shuttle buses used to transport fans and customers between parking lots and venues
  • Insuring delivery trucks used to transport concessions, merchandise and other supplies

Based on national average pricing data and considerations for the risks associated with operating vehicles for spectator sports businesses, the estimated average annual pricing for commercial auto insurance would be around $5,000-$7,000 per vehicle. This pricing range takes into account factors like the number of vehicles used, types of vehicles (e.g. buses, vans), driver qualifications, safety record, and average annual mileage.

Estimated Pricing: $5,000-$7,000

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Workers’ compensation insurance is an important protection for businesses in the spectator sports industry. It provides coverage for medical expenses and lost wages if employees suffer injuries on the job in this physically demanding field. Due to the risks of injury, especially for athletes, coaches and stadium staff, workers’ compensation is essential coverage for spectator sports organizations. Rates are higher compared to other industries since work-related injuries are more common. Coverage helps attract quality employees and reduces costs from employee lawsuits.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers medical expenses and lost wages if an employee gets injured on the job
  • Protects your business from lawsuits if an employee is injured
  • Required by law in most states
  • Reducesabsenteeism by encouraging workers to return to work quickly after an injury
  • Attracts quality employees as it provides them with protection in case of on-job injuries
Use Cases
  • Injuries to athletes or players during practices, scrimmages, or official games
  • Injuries to coaches, referees, or other staff during practices, games, or other work-related activities
  • Injuries to stadium or arena staff such as food service workers, ushers, cleaners, etc. during work activities

Based on industry research, the average workers’ compensation insurance rates for businesses in the spectator sports industry (NAICS code 7112) tend to be high due to the physical nature of work. For example, athletes, coaches, referees/umpires/judges are at higher risk of on-the-job injuries compared to office workers. The estimated average annual premium is around $2.50 per $100 of payroll. This was derived based on rate filings by top insurance carriers for this industry code.

Estimated Pricing: $2.50 per $100 of payroll

Cyber Liability Insurance

Cyber liability insurance is an important risk management tool for businesses in the spectator sports industry. It helps protect these organizations from the high financial and legal costs that could result from a data breach or cyber attack involving customer or employee information. Some key benefits of cyber insurance for these businesses include coverage for forensic investigations, legal services, public relations costs, third party liability claims, network security failures, data breaches involving vendors or suppliers, business interruption expenses, and access to legal/crisis management experts. The estimated average annual premium for a business in this industry is around $3,000.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers costs of a data breach including forensic investigations, legal services, public relations, credit monitoring services
  • Protection from lawsuits in the event of a data breach involving theft or loss of personal information
  • Covers costs associated with a network security failure or inadvertent transmission of malware
  • Covers business interruption expenses if networks need to be taken offline for an extended period of time to address a security incident
  • Covers liability expenses if a third party such as a vendor or supplier suffers a breach involving customer data in their possession
  • Provides access to legal advice and crisis management experts in the event of a cyber attack or data breach
  • Peace of mind knowing you have coverage for both first and third party cyber risks
Use Cases
  • Data breach or cyber attack resulting in the loss or theft of customer or employee personal information
  • Network security failure leading to a service interruption or systems outage
  • Liability from a third party lawsuit alleging the business negligently exposed private information
  • Costs associated with a privacy regulatory investigation or fine from a data breach
  • Ransomware attack encrypting critical systems and demanding payment to restore access

Based on industry research, the average cyber liability insurance pricing for businesses in the spectator sports industry (NAICS code: 7112) is around $3,000 per year. This pricing is derived based on the average revenue of businesses in this industry and their risk exposure to cyber threats and data breaches related to customer and employee information.

Estimated Pricing: $3,000

Equipment Breakdown Insurance

Equipment breakdown insurance provides financial protection for businesses in the spectator sports industry against unexpected repair and replacement costs resulting from mechanical failures or electrical issues of important operational equipment.

This type of insurance is especially important for companies in this industry as they rely on complex systems like HVAC, lighting, scoreboards and more to run events and provide good fan experiences. Downtime from equipment issues can be very costly in lost revenue and reputation if they occur during busy seasons. Coverage also helps pay for temporary equipment rentals to minimize disruption.

Category List
Benefits
  • Covers repair or replacement costs for broken equipment like HVAC systems, refrigeration units, scoreboards
  • Pays for losses from equipment breakdown accidents like electrical faults, mechanical failures, explosions
  • Provides protection from loss of income during equipment repairs or replacement time
  • Covers additional expenses from hiring temporary equipment, expediting repairs or using alternative locations or facilities
  • Includes costs for property damage caused by an equipment breakdown accident
  • Offers services like emergency equipment rentals to minimize downtime
  • Covers costs of hazardous material cleanup if required after an equipment accident
Use Cases
  • Protection against equipment failures or breakdowns of HVAC systems at sports stadiums
  • Coverage for failures or breakdowns of scoreboards, scoreboards, video boards or other LED displays at sports facilities
  • Insurance for breakdowns of stadium lighting systems
  • Protection for failures or malfunctions of turf grow lights, heating or cooling systems used for artificial turf fields
  • Coverage for mechanical issues or failures of escalators, elevators or other people movers used to transport fans around large stadium complexes

Based on typical pricing formulas used in the insurance industry, the estimated average annual premium for equipment breakdown insurance for businesses in the spectator sports industry with NAICS code 7112 would be around $5,000. This was calculated based on the average total insurable value of equipment being around $2 million. With a typical rate of 0.25% of total insurable value, the estimated annual premium would be $5,000 (0.25% of $2 million).

Estimated Pricing: $5,000

Directors And Officers Insurance

Directors and officers (D&O) insurance provides liability protection for directors and officers of a corporation against claims of alleged wrongful acts or errors in judgment. This type of insurance is especially important for companies in the spectator sports industry due to the public nature of their operations and events. Some key benefits of D&O insurance for sports organizations include covering legal costs from shareholder lawsuits, protecting personal assets of directors and officers, and providing crisis management services to help handle reputation issues that may arise from claims. Common uses of D&O insurance include coverage of legal fees if a director is sued for wrongful acts, settlements if found liable, and costs of regulatory investigations into the actions of leadership. The estimated average annual premium for D&O insurance for sports businesses is around $25,000 based on factors like revenue, employee count, and claims history.

Category List
Benefits
  • Protects the personal assets of directors and officers from lawsuits and legal costs
  • Reimburses businesses for costs associated with lawsuits against directors and officers
  • Covers legal defense costs if a lawsuit is filed against a director or officer for alleged wrongful acts
  • Covers costs and damages from a class action or shareholder lawsuit
  • Includes employment practices liability (EPLI) coverage to protect against lawsuits from employees
  • Covers accidental errors or omissions by directors and officers in performing their duties
  • Provides crisis management services to help with reputation issues in the event of a lawsuit
Use Cases
  • To cover legal fees and expenses if a director or officer is sued for wrongful acts such as claims of errors, omissions or breaches of duty
  • To cover monetary settlements or judgments if a director or officer is found legally liable for wrongful acts
  • To cover legal fees and expenses if a director or officer is involved in an investigation or inquiry by a regulatory body such as the SEC
  • To cover legal fees and expenses if the business itself is subject to a derivative lawsuit by shareholders for the acts or omissions of directors or officers

Based on industry reports, the average price for Directors And Officers Insurance for businesses in the Spectator Sports industry with NAICS code 7112 is around $25,000 per year. Pricing is typically calculated based on factors like annual revenue, number of employees/directors, prior claims experience. For a typical small to medium sized sports team or event organizer with under $50M in annual revenue and less than 500 employees, $25,000 per year would be a reasonable estimate.

Estimated Pricing: $25,000

Conclusion

By obtaining the right insurance policies tailored to their risks, spectator sports businesses can protect against unexpected costs from liability claims, property damage, employee injuries, cyber incidents and more. With the right coverage in place, these organizations can focus on running successful events without worrying about how to pay for losses in the event of an incident.

Frequently Asked Questions

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