An emerging sport is a sport recognized by the NCAA for the purpose of providing additional athletics opportunities to female student-athletes. Institutions are allowed to use emerging sports to help meet the NCAA minimum sports-sponsorship requirements and also to meet the NCAA's minimum financial aid awards.

The NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports (CSMAS) urges that emerging sports be provided health care and medical coverage consistent with that provided for other sports, and also recommends that institutions review medical-care policies for emerging-sports teams traveling to compete in club-sponsored events.

Participation increases

Since 1981, female student-athletes' participation rates have increased more than 200 percent, from 64,390 to a 2002 level of 155,513. NCAA institutions have sponsored an additional 4,000 women's and 1,000 men's sports teams in the same period.

These increases have not produced a subsequent or even consistent increase in athletics health care facilities or staff. This is one of the main reasons collegiate athletics health care is feeling the workload stress and burnout noted today.

Male practice squads

A growing trend in competitive collegiate athletics is to arrange for women's sport teams to practice against male counterparts. The men often are enlisted on campus and even at times on the road to participate in organized athletic activities.

This is a concern for the medical staff, since most participating men may not have had a physical prior to participating, may be injured during activity, and may not have health insurance to cover the injury. In addition, these extra bodies are outside the normal squad limit and place additional time demands on the medical care coverage staff.

Medical coverage

It is the responsibility of each member institution to protect the health of, and provide a safe environment for, each of its participating student-athletes, including those participating in emerging sports. The CSMAS believes that emerging sports should receive consistent athletic health care and coverage, like other varsity sports. Each scheduled practice or contest of an institution-sponsored intercollegiate athletics event, as well as all out-of-season practices and skills sessions, should include an emergency plan.

Emergency care and coverage recommendations are outlined in the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook Guideline 1f. Emergency response requires the presence of a person qualified and delegated to render emergency care to a stricken participant.

The CSMAS committee supports the National Athletic Trainers' Association in its public initiative to ensure that all athletics department personnel are certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid. The committee endorsed a point of emphasis at its January meeting that institutions follow the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook recommendation that "all athletics personnel associated with practices, competitions, skill instruction, and strength and condition" have certification in CPR, first aid and prevention of disease transmission.