Sports Physicians

Coaches and management are aware of the benefits of good health and nutrition for their athletes after years of watching them close down the bars after a game. Proper nutrition, conditioning, and training prevent injuries to athletes, and preventing injuries is the key when those athletes are making their owners revenues in the billions of dollars. A top sports physician has become, and continues to be, a worthwhile investment for any professional team. The coronavirus pandemic has had a major effect on sports in 2020, with many events and competitions cancelled or postponed. Sports physicians are monitoring and treating athletes who have tested positive for the virus, and their expertise is in particularly high demand as sports training sessions, practices, and competitions resume. In general, the outlook for sports physicians remains strong, but it should be noted that this is a highly competitive profession. The number of physicians who provide services to professional sports teams is extremely small, and it is challenging to land a job at this level.

Even outside the realm of professional sports, amateur athletes require the skills and expertise of talented sports physicians to handle the aches and pains that come from pulling muscles and overtaxing aging knees. Athletes of all ages and abilities take their competitions seriously and are as prone to injury as any professional athlete, if not more, because amateur athletes in general spend less time conditioning their bodies. The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that employment for physicians and surgeons will grow by 7 percent, faster than the average for all careers, through 2028.