The Benefits of Prioritizing the Health and Safety of College Athletes

The health and safety of college athletes has been in the national spotlight due to high-profile incidents in which athletes have been injured or died playing their sport and because there has been a rise in advocacy from the athletes themselves. When surveyed by the NCAA in 2021, college athletes said they believe athlete health and safety should be the top priority of the NCAA.

Vector Solutions spoke with Dr. Jim Borchers, president of the U.S. Council for Athletes’ Health (USCAH), about the importance of athlete health and safety and how to create a culture that prioritizes it at all levels – from intercollegiate athletics to club, rec, and intramural sports.

One piece of advice Borchers shared is to focus on the benefits for the athletes, as well as for the athletic program and the institution. The benefits, he said, are significant and will speak for themselves.

Here are some of his top reasons why prioritizing athlete health and safety is a must.

1. It protects the athletes from harm. According to the University of Rochester Medical Center’s research findings in 2013, college athletes have a 75% chance of getting injured over four years. In extreme cases, those injuries are catastrophic or even fatal. In addition to physical injuries caused while playing the sport, Borchers says mental health, including managing stress, is a top concern among varsity athletes. Prioritizing athletes’ health, safety, and well-being – everything from educating them about injury prevention to helping them prioritize sleep to referring them to counseling or other resources if needed – helps them feel supported and helps them avoid injury.
2. It improves athletes’ performance. When asked what the best way is to motivate coaches, staff, and athletes to take advantage of health and safety training programs, Borchers says the answer is simple: improved performance. “Too often, we’re reactive when it comes to health care. But if athletes wait to address issues until they are significant problems, they are not performing at maximum capacity,” Borchers said. A good example is getting enough sleep. If a student isn’t getting enough sleep, they aren’t able to perform their best. Ensuring that issues like sleep, nutrition, and mental well-being are addressed will help athletes perform better. These tactics hold true for other areas of their lives. Prioritizing safety, health, and well-being helps athletes be better at their sport and supports them in other aspects of their daily lives.
3. It improves the institution’s reputation. Putting athlete health and safety at the forefront as an institutional priority gets noticed. It can be a factor in the decision process for a student seeking to enroll in a sports program and having a reputation for caring about and prioritizing the health, safety, and well-being of athletes. It will boost the institution’s reputation in the sports world and beyond, which can support recruitment and retention and lead to a stronger athletic program.

Prioritizing athlete health and safety has significant benefits for the students and the athletic program. It can also have a positive impact on the institution. Focusing on these benefits will help administrators make a case to implement prevention programs and initiatives. When everyone understands the “why,” it will help the institution foster a culture of care—one in which athlete health, safety, and well-being is the central focus.

How Vector Can Help

Vector Solutions provides resources and expert-authored online training courses for college and university staff, students, and administrators. These resources and courses focus on critical athlete health, safety, and wellness topics. Learn more about how to support athletes’ health and safety:

• Download Vector’s Guide to Supporting Collegiate Athlete Health and Safety
• View Vector Solutions USCAH courses
• View Vector Solutions courses for athletes
• View Vector Solutions’ courses for athletic staff