Yes, players for the Nationals, like professional athletes playing for other Washington, D.C. teams, are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits if they get hurt.
A lot of people don’t agree with that.
They believe that because pro athletes get paid to play a game or sport, and make so much money, they should not be entitled to workers’ comp benefits in D.C. when they get hurt in a game or practice. After all, injuries are part of the game, right? That’s what they signed up for, right?
However, they’re wrong. Here’s why:
Most professional players have worked toward their careers since grade school. What does that really mean? The pro players we’ve represented have made a lot of sacrifices and choices to get where they are today. For example, many have moved from team to team, city to city, more times than they can remember while working their way up to the big leagues.
In contrast, in your job, you probably have a lot of control over how you live your life away from work. You eat what you want, when you want. Additionally, you exercise (or not) depending on your schedule and what you feel like doing.
Did you ever make mistake at work? Who sees that? Your boss, a few co-workers? It’s probably not on Sports Center.
Does your continued employment depend on winning and other things that are out of your control? I don’t mean just doing a good job; I mean winning – consistently winning for your employer and constantly beating out the competition for your job. Moreover, is there a long line of workers begging for a shot at taking your job?
Washington Nationals and other pro athletes in D.C. deserve workers’ comp benefits.
Major league players (and all pro athletes for that matter) have short careers. Many of them move frequently between the minor leagues and major leagues. And if you play in the major leagues for just a few months, weeks, or even days, you only get major league pay pro-rated for your time in the big leagues.
So for thousands of pro athletes who play in D.C., they won’t make a ton of money over their careers, or they may have years of going back and forth between the minors and the big leagues. For instance, Nats’ pitcher Paolo Espino is a great example of this – he got his first major league win recently at age 34.
D.C. workers’ compensation benefits help workers who get hurt on the job and can’t work or have permanent injuries – and members of the Nats or any other pro team are no different. Plus, their job carries extreme high-risk for serious injuries. Many players suffer career-ending injuries or permanent injuries they have to deal with for the rest of their lives.
It’s a business. So players need to protect themselves when they get injured.
We guide players through the complicated workers’ comp system in D.C.
If you got injured playing for the Nats, we can help you stand up to the MLB and their insurance companies. The legal and insurance system in Washington, D.C. is complicated and time-consuming, but we make it easy for you.
We stick to exactly what we know (we actually wrote the book on D.C. workers’ compensation). We don’t act as agents, handle contracts, endorsements, or anything your agent does, and we don’t compete with them – in fact, we work with your agent every step of the way to maximize your benefits. For example, agents often call us with questions on workers’ comp laws and injury settlements.
Call us today at 202-393-3320 for a free, no-obligation, confidential strategy session. We’ll tell you exactly what to expect and give you a plan.