Episode 60: John Lopez - Why the Athletic Training Profession Is at a Crossroads (and How to Fix It)

In the Athletic Training profession, salaries are stagnant, youth sports are being neglected, and practitioners are forced to get advanced certifications to make an adequate income. How did the profession get here, and what can we do to ensure its future viability?In this episode, John Lopez joins host Andrew Rizza for an extensive look at the past, present, and future of athletic training. With Lopez’s career beginning in 1970, it spans collegiate athletics, the NFL, education, and industry leadership. In this discussion, he offers an honest and sometimes blunt assessment of where the profession has succeeded, where it has missed major opportunities, and what must change to ensure long-term sustainability.The conversation covers the documentation problem that is killing advocacy, third-party reimbursement pitfalls, PRN exploitation, brain drain drivers, the potential impact of NIL on collegiate healthcare, and youth sports neglect, while charting paths to ROI proof, the power of mentorship, and non-traditional wins. Lopez also provides practical advice for young athletic trainers entering the field.MEET THE GUEST- Certified Athletic Trainer since 1970 - NFL AT: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts- Sports medicine sales job with Collin Sports Medicine- Former Director of Sports Medicine/Head Athletic Trainer at Coppin State UniversityTOPICS DISCUSSED- The decline of NATA - Transitioning to non-traditional settings (Industrial & corporate) - The documentation deficiency and proving your worth - Advanced certifications - Youth Sports and PRN exploitationHIGHLIGHTS01:30 – Lopez's Career Path in Athletic Training06:34 – The NATA Membership Crisis10:14 – The Paradigm Shift with Conferences and Meetings11:52 – Cost Challenges for NATA12:48 – Non-Traditional Athletic Trainers and NATA18:49 – Advocating for Fair Pay & the Documentation Deficiency26:31 – Third-Party Reimbursement29:53 – Workers' Compensation Law & NIL Complications33:20 – Are Advanced Certifications Worth It?39:19 – Youth Sports Neglect and PRN Abuse45:13 – Allies & Revenue Tracking49:44 – Advice for Up-and-Coming Athletic Trainers56:07 – Fun Fact About Lopez: The Accordion🗣️ Quotes14:34 – “If you look at that historically, General Motors hired their first certified athletic trainer to reduce their injuries in 1965. They realized they paid Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan more money in premiums than what their profits were every year. So they said, ‘This is insanity, we can't keep up with this!’ So they started hiring athletic trainers.”20:37 – “So we're not driving our salary because we can't point out our value. We do a very poor job, as a profession, in documentation.”21:09 – “The issue that we have done is that we haven't proclaimed what our worth is. We don't really know how to tell people how much we're worth.”26:05 – “And a lot of times you're meeting with your principal or your athletic director at the collegiate setting, all we talk about is we're working too many hours, but yet we don't stand there and say, ‘Look how many athletes I treated; this is the documentation that I have. This is the number of—’ We don't do that. We'll sit there and complain about it. So it's very difficult for you to move the process forward if you don't have documentation to back yourself up.”50:33 – “You’ve got to develop stronger relationships with your mentors. Mentorship is so important in our profession.” LINKSJohn Lopez on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-lopez-264ba44/ RELATED EPISODES The Future of Athletic Training with Dr. Chad Starkey - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abGrBM19qZw DISCLAIMER The opinions presented on Behind the Sports Medicine are those of the host and guests. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any affiliated institutions or partners. The content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a licensed medical professional before making any health or treatment decisions. Behind the Sports Medicine and its affiliates assume no liability for the accuracy or application of the information discussed.#AthleticTraining #SportsMedicine #InjuryPrevention #NATA #SportsScience