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| Thomas Campbell |
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Most former athletes would affirm that athletic trainers were an important aspect of their collegiate sports experience. These sages of human athletic performance have been helping their wards achieve their athletic goals since the early 1900’s. However, the world of sports is changing rapidly, and there are many who believe that college athletic trainers are as antiquated as cinder tracks or short shorts in basketball. In the 21st century, athletic trainers are obsolete. The title “athletic trainer” itself is misleading. Training is not one of the tasks performed by these professionals. Sports medicine deals specifically with injury care and prevention. The athletes who receive the attention of an athletic trainer are often not training at all due to injury. Semantics aside, the problem is in essence financial. Almost without exception, our nation’s universities are in financial trouble. Academic departments are “letting go” countless faculty members in the face of severe budget cuts. Public and private colleges alike are desperately searching for ways to slash waste. While these purges are never welcome, they are badly needed; and when it comes time to dole out pink slips, athletic trainers should be the first to leave. In 2011, the average salary for an athletic trainer was around $38,000. Depending on the size of the university and other factors, athletic departments may employ several of these professionals. This money could—and should—be used for athletic scholarships. Some athletes finish their college sporting career and never require the services of an athletic trainer. There is always a possibility that an athlete will become injured, but it is never a certainty. However, it is a fact that athletic scholarships would increase significantly if universities were no longer forced to cover the salaries of their athletic trainers. The dismissal of colleges’ athletic trainers would mean responsibility for injury care and prevention would shift to the coaches and athletes themselves. Athletes and coaches already spend a considerable amount of time pursuing their sport. This extra effort is not too much to ask when the average athlete’s scholarship stands to increase considerably at a school that sheds its athletic trainers. Runners, to cite a specific sport, would receive a priceless benefit from their newly acquired knowledge. Athletic trainers, as part of the current system, may serve our men and women well enough, but what happens when these athletes set out to pursue their post-college running careers? Suddenly there is no one around to treat their every ache and pain, and the athlete is helpless to help himself. The internet and dozens of sites such as LetsRun provide a near infinite educational medium from which an athlete can study all aspects of sports-training and human physiology. An ambitious college runner could essentially become his or her own expert, diagnosing and treating problems before and as they arise. Again, responsibility for injury treatment and prevention should lie with athletes and coaches. It is no secret that many coaches exploit their athletes. Unlike contact sports, runners’ injuries stem from one thing and one thing only: running. A disturbing number of distance coaches encourage their athletes to run 80, 90, even 100 miles a week! Then, when their runners’ bodies succumb to inevitable injuries from overuse, these same coaches dump them on their athletic trainers to be magically “fixed.” Without the presence of athletic trainers, this shameful practice would likely disappear. But what about sports of a more violent nature? Are athletic trainers not a necessity? Of course not. Realistically, all of an athlete’s needs could be met by local medical services—during competition and otherwise. Progressive universities could potentially create their own athletic insurance plans, which their athletes could voluntarily fund with their newly inflated scholarships. The schools could then pay for their athletes who require treatment at local medical centers. How many times are athletes sent to medical professionals after a fruitless visit to their school’s athletic trainer? Nobody would hire someone to service an ailing automobile, only to have him make a hazy diagnosis, pocket the money, and recommend the services of the local auto-repair shop. Why should colleges ask their students and athletes to finance a similar lunacy? (But don’t forget, our expert athletes will know when they need care that they cannot provide themselves. They will self-diagnose effectively, and quickly seek a course of proper treatment.) Endurance sports will no doubt be eager to jettison athletic trainers, but what if their university’s contact sports teams refuse to part with these beloved mountebanks? In order to end the impasse, it will be necessary to appeal to these warriors’ inherent machismo. “Alpha males such as themselves have no need for a ‘special’ person to fix their ‘owies.’ You football players are supposed to be tough, dammit!” At least that’s the attitude they seek to convey: laughing at your running camp shirt at parties, monopolizing all the cute girls, and beating you soundly at every drinking game. Finally, each university should investigate their athletic trainers. Many are lazy and don’t care about the athletes they have sworn to protect. A majority of their work is performed by student “assistants,” eager apprentices who desire to become athletic trainers themselves. These individuals may seem nice, interesting, and into the same bands you are; they may even agree to meet at the library to study for your upcoming Intro to Sociology exam, but inexorably, they will end up dating the running-back with a pulled hammy who is always hanging out in the training room, hogging the ice-bath, and making jokes that aren’t really that funny. But what about the athletic trainers? Where will they find work? Former college athletic trainers can find work as mercenary personal trainers. With the United States’ obesity rate set to reach 40 percent by 2030, there has never been a greater need for professionals willing to charge the overweight by the hour to perform sit-ups at the local gym. Lest anyone think me unfair, I will express that this essay is nothing more than a selfless call for change. Share it with your colleagues and coaches, your athletic directors and college presidents. Start petitions. Spread the word. It is your responsibility as runners, as athletes. Together, we can forever free the world of college sports from a sinister and pervasive evil. --Thomas Campbell |
| BAA Start |
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Amerika is a funny country. Ya'll spend so much money on sports facilities etc etc Why does a university need an XC mens and womens coach? Why can't there just be one between the 2 teams? Why does a university need to employ full time coaches for every team? I think Athletic trainers are a very valuable asset to a program, you need them. And no, you can't put this responsibility on the coaches/athletes. But why not have student-therapist, thats what 95% of Canadian universities do, they par-take in extensive training through the actual sports med staff, then take care of the athletes, for free, no cost, just a nice reference for them. Your tuition prices are outrageous, yet you have such a hard time balancing the books? Not to mention extremely poor graduation rates at North Southern Insert State University |
| clack track |
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You had me until you said running 80-100 miles a week is too much. Now I know you are an idiot. |
| Concerned Citizen |
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What's that now? http://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/details/education/university-completion.aspx |
| luv2run |
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I think you are clueless. An ATC might earn $38K, but works a ton of hours so the U is getting a good deal. If you think it would save money to have the school send the injured athletes to docs and then PT, I think you are in error. That would cost far, far more. |
| shityeah |
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It's important to understand that Thomas Campbell does not insist on riding all medical attendants of University medical rooms. I must use "medical rooms" because the term "training room" is as stated before, misleading. Very minimal "training" goes on here. I would not consider ice baths, ultrasound, taping ankles, pre-heating, or consulting of injuries "training". Although there is some premise that justifying one athletic trainer would cause a domino effect employing others, some on site medical staff is need. Simply being present at practices, offering water, a friendly stretch, or a smart ass remark doesn't justify an athletic trainers purpose. Thomas had brought up the subject matter of injury prevention. This is both expected of athletes during and out of season, but largely comes into association with the real "athletic trainers", the strength coaches. This can largely prevent many problems associated with distance running and other sports as well. I look forward to seeing some responses to this topic. |
| BabyNatsFTW |
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Many professional athletes continue to rely on professional trainers after college. If they think this is necessary for success, enough to spend their own money, then why should it be different for colleges which want their athletes to succeed? The idea that collegiate athletes can become "experts" by browsing the internet in their spare time (not spent training or on academic study, their primary tasks as student-athletes) is simply insulting to trainers who have dedicated significant portions of their life to their work. I agree that it is important for athletes to have an understanding of the signs of injury, and how to avoid and recover from them. Athletes have an insight into the workings of their body which cannot be equaled by any outside observer--trainer or coach. In my experience many athletic trainers at the collegiate and high school level also have little understanding of running and its related injuries. However, this is a condemnation of specific trainers, not the position itself. It is unfortunate that runners often can rely only on themselves for proper care.
Injuries do not stem from running itself, but rather from running in certain unhealthy ways. High mileage (if 80 seems high to you) can certainly cause injury, but if undertaken properly it can be safe and essential to improvement. "Overuse" cannot be reduced to running a certain number of miles per week and is often caused by too much intensity without proper recovery. I'm pretty sure people get injured just as often running low mileage as high mileage.
I don't see why you think relying on outside medical services will be intrinsically cheaper. Proving that would require a much more complicated analysis than either of us is capable of. It seems like much of your argument is concerned with the ineffectiveness of trainers. Does the problem lie with the system of colleges employing athletic trainers, or with trainers who do not fulfill the requirements of their job? Colleges are not going to stop employing trainers. We should be arguing about how to ensure that these trainers are more effective at helping athletes. |
| H. Mittits |
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The ATC has very little power. They can't officially medically clear an athlete to participate after an injury. Sometimes, they take on a pseudo-authority and also have to clear an athlete in conjunction with the physician, but it is really only the physician's word that counts. They have their own culture to feel important. They are the "first responders" in the event of an injury. Of course, EMS / paramedics or an MD or nurse has equal qualifications to be a first responder. So, their chief role on the sidelines is trumped by a number of others. The idea of them being a strength and conditioning expert has been taken away by the very people who specialize as strength and conditioning coaches. They have 1-2 nutrition classes and feel like nutrition experts, but college and pro teams tend to have nutritionists, so no dice there. In rehabbing chronic injuries, PT's get the main action (and who would you rather have treating you, a DPT with a minimum of 7+ years of training or an ATC with only an undergrad degree with a 2.5gpa requirement?). ATC's currently cannot bill insurance directly, so they cannot go into practice on their own. So, what can they do better than anybody else? Tape and brace? Maybe. But this is why they have fallen into the trap of being "hydration experts" (waterboys) and "sanitation monitors" (towel boys / cleaning staff) - because there is another profession which is more qualified to deal with everything they are supposed to be doing. The profession negotiated poorly and has taken a backseat to so many others. There are people who double major in athletic training and education with the bright idea that they will be more valuable for the schools, as they can do not one, but TWO jobs. And they do - they just don't get the salary of two jobs, and are thus getting very shortchanged. This is not the only blunder the profession has had in general negotiations with the larger world that has cost them royally. As an 18 year old graduating from high school, the idea of working with athletes sounds so cool. By the time you are graduating from college at the age of 22, you may wonder, "is this what I am going to be doing for the rest of my life - going to high school football games and sitting on the sideline?" This is why so many athletic trainers are burnt out and jaded, because they get paid poor money to work long irregular hours with little chance of promotion without an advanced degree, and basically are stuck working with high school athletes. The ATC's who are the brightest realize this and either leave the profession to do something else, such as DPT or PA, or get PhD's and teach athletic training. Thus, there is a void of good, qualified, intelligent athletic trainers at the high school level, and to a slightly lesser degree, the college level. Yes, this is a generalization, as there are some good ATC's out there, but for the most part, they are not anywhere near as qualified in injury prevention, rehabilitation, or first responding (their main roles) as a number of other professionals. ATC's can turn their profession around if they find a niche they are better at than somebody else, raise the standard to be accepted and remain in an ATC program, and develop a sense of respect from their allied health colleagues. However, there is a lot of work that must be done and reversed, and it very well may be too late for them to do this. |
| Ghost2 |
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Dude, we all know which posts you're writing. Just stick to one name, you're not fooling anyone. |
| climberun24@yahoo.com |
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Hey Sir, So here is the deal. You though running a bit,,.. for pleasure leads to you being able to talk about a trainer for people grinding... wrongo sir. |
| atmyschool |
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For the record: The athletic trainers at my university are gaping @ssholes. |
| Trainme |
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If the trainers are getting two degrees to teach and train, and the "training" they are doing consists of taping and filling water bottles. Why not give a teacher with first aid training an extra $500 or so a year to perform these duties? |
| mahogany |
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Thomas is right, athletic trainers and their student assistant cronies are worthless. 99.9% of them are former high school cheerleaders looking for the next injured football player to tell them about last weekends beerbonging record and hopefully get their number. The arrogant head trainers rarely know anything about running injuries. It saves time and money for any decently intelligient runner to look up his own injuries on letsrun or some other site and start from there |
| dkjfkajkf |
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It would be my guess that none of you guys on here are very good runners. We spend almost as much time in the training room as we do running. Our trainers are by no means useless, if it wernt for them I would not be running right now. You guys are most likley from high school and clueless. Maybe you dont need trainers when you are running 30 miles a week running crappy times but once you actually start training, you will see how valuable trainers are..so please stop talking. |
| RMHR |
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You don't know me! Instead of spending all my time getting a rub down I hit the streets, and if my tibia fractures I hit the eliptical and aquajog until I pull a hip flexor. No need, send that money saved over to the girls soccer team and get some lookers. Why do they recruit only line-(wo)men? |
| Trainme |
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14:07 29:42 I wouldn't call that high school times. My trainer runs 21:30 and 45:00. He's really helped me out. |
| mahogany |
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dkjfkajkf, first off your name is ridiculous, you must be a foriegner. I know guys like you, they hang out in the trainer's office all day and whine about how hard they train, you're not special, everyone on this site runs high volume and is probably faster then you also. Get off your foam roller and quit ripping on people you don't know We have no need for trainers in today's collegiate athletics, get a computer learn how to use google, and solve your own problems, because 99.9% of trainers are unable to solve them for you. Then we can quit wasting our college's money on dumb little girls who want to get hit on by the 3rd string Quarterback while they wrap their ankle |
| PKK_Runner |
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Ha, someone lost their girlfriend to a football player, you're really transparent dude, get a life |
| the average male runner |
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80, 90 or even 100 miles a week!?! That is insanity! I'm lucky if I hit that in a month (and then I take a week off). They should run less and try cross fit and swimming. |
| D1ATC |
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Thomas, ATC's provide a wide array of medical services to all you whiny runners and we refer to specialists when appropriate. Next time you come in saying your mom (webmd) wants you to get custom orthotics to alleviate plantar fasciitis (pre-existing)and the school should have to pay for them please ask her how much revenue your sport brings in for the aforementioned university? ATC's are only available to runners because they're on break from football, basketball, hockey, or baseball practice. Without the sports that actually bring money in, there would never be any leftover to fund, staff, and treat the welfare sports. Quit being bitter because you still haven't been granted that D2 scholarship yet. Oh, almost forgot...go talk to your coach about that scholarship money...see how much s/he gets paid to work 5 hour days and travel 12 hours to an unscored meet 800 miles away. If you received poor treatment from an atc before, I'm sorry for that but you will not get any better medical attention from a coach, webmd, "team mom", or the guy in the dorm room next to you. |
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