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

OBJECTIVE: 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. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey study. SETTING: Power 5 NCAA Division I football programs during the 2023 to 2024 season. PARTICIPANTS: 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. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presence, specialty training, and roles of medical providers on the sideline during football games. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSIONS: 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.