Who is There? Which Medical Providers are Present for College Football Sideline Coverage

To characterize the composition and specialty training of sideline medical providers present during National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (Power 5) college football games.

Cross-sectional survey study.

Power 5 NCAA Division I football programs during the 2023 to 2024 season.

Head team physicians from 69 institutions were contacted; 53 (76.8%) completed the survey.Intervention: A 25-question REDCap survey assessing on-site personnel during home and away football games, including physician specialties, emergency coverage, imaging availability, emergency medicines, and athletic training support.

Presence, specialty training, and roles of medical providers on the sideline during football games.

All responding programs had orthopedic surgeons (OS) on-site at home games, and all but 1 had a primary care sports medicine physician (SMP). SMPs most commonly trained in family medicine (54.2%), followed by emergency medicine (13.5%) and pediatrics (11.9%). OSs were most frequently fellowship-trained in sports medicine (68.6%). Emergency/airway management physicians were present at 37.7% of schools; neurotrauma-specific providers were present at 15.1%. Away game coverage was reduced, with fewer SMPs and OSs traveling. Athletic trainer coverage remained consistent. Only a minority of schools traveled with additional medical specialists.

There is significant variability in sideline medical staffing across Power 5 college football programs. While all schools met or exceeded NCAA minimums, these findings highlight opportunities for standardization and alignment with professional sports models to optimize athlete safety.