Characteristics of Team Physicians in the National Football League: The Road to Success and a Call for Diversity

Tyler B Gillikin; Nicholas J Lanzetta; Peter R Swiatek; Erik B Gerlach; Michael A Terry; Vehniah K Tjong

doi:10.1177/23259671231177660

Characteristics of Team Physicians in the National Football League: The Road to Success and a Call for Diversity

Orthop J Sports Med. 2023 Jul 12;11(7):23259671231177660. doi: 10.1177/23259671231177660. eCollection 2023 Jul.

Authors

Tyler B Gillikin¹, Nicholas J Lanzetta¹, Peter R Swiatek¹, Erik B Gerlach¹, Michael A Terry¹, Vehniah K Tjong¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Abstract

Background: The role of team physician (TP) in professional sports is a highly coveted position within sports medicine. There is currently limited research on the demographic characteristics of TPs within the National Football League (NFL).

Purpose: To identify demographic characteristics and educational backgrounds of NFL head TPs (HTPs) and assistant TPs (ATPs).

Study design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: A list of TPs was identified through the National Football League Physicians Society (NFLPS). Variables investigated include age, gender, race, medical specialty, location and year of residency and fellowship training, leadership among medical societies and editorial boards, academic rank, and personal Scopus Hirsch index (h-index). Linear regression was performed to determine correlation, and t tests were used to assess differences in the h-index.

Results: Of the 170 TPs, 21.2% were HTPs and 78.8% were ATPs. TPs were 97.6% male, 91.2% were non-Hispanic White, and 60% had attained an academic rank. The mean ages of the HTPs and ATPs were a 56.2 ± 9.6 and 52.6 ± 9.6 years, respectively (P = .047). Among orthopaedic surgeons, the most common subspecialties were sports medicine (70.5%), foot and ankle (7.6%), and spine (5.7%). Of the TPs, 48.2% and 32.9% worked for a team in the same state in which they graduated residency and fellowship, respectively. HTPs and ATPs had been in the NFLPS for a mean of 16.9 ± 10.8 and 8.8 ± 8.3 years, respectively (P < .001). Further, TPs holding an academic rank had a mean h-index of 14.0 ± 19.3, while those without an academic rank had a mean h-index of 6.2 ± 8.8 (P < .01). HTPs and ATPs had mean h-indices of 15.7 ± 15.9 and 9.6 ± 16.3 (P = .0503), respectively.

Conclusion: TPs in the NFL are typically White men in their mid-50s who have trained at specific high-ranking institutions and obtained a fellowship in sports medicine. HTPs were likely to be older with longer tenures within the NFLPS and with more impactful research than their ATP counterparts.

Keywords: NFL leadership; NFLPS; professional sports leadership; sports medicine; team physician.