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Rate ePoster

Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine

Demographic Disparities Among United States Professional Sports Team Physicians: A Cross-League Analysis of Gender and Degree Representation

Friday, October 24, 2025
8:00 AM - 9:15 AM MT
Location: Kiosk 7

    Poster Presenter(s)

  • Ghid Bahoo, Other

    Primary Author, OMS-II
    Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University
    Glendale, Arizona

    • Co-Author(s)

  • JH

    Joshua Holcomb, Other

    OMS-II
    Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University
    Glendale, Arizona

  • MT

    Machus Turner, Other

    Co-Author OMS-II
    Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University
    Glendale, Arizona

  • JA

    John Ashurst, DO

    Clinical Assistant Professor
    Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine
    Glendale, Arizona

  • AM

    Aaron McMurray, MPH

    OMS-III
    Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University
    Glendale, Arizona

Disclosure(s):
Ghid Bahoo, Other: No financial relationships to disclose
John Ashurst, DO: No financial relationships to disclose
Background and/or Objectives: Team physicians are central to athlete care in professional sports, yet limited data exist on their demographic and professional backgrounds. This study evaluates gender and degree representation across major United States (U.S.) sports leagues, identifying disparities and their potential implications for equitable access to high-visibility roles in sports medicine.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of physician demographics and specialties across professional sports teams.

Setting : Major U.S. sports leagues including the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS), and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Participants : A total of 703 team physicians representing all franchises within the six leagues.

Interventions: N/A

Main Outcome Measures: Physician data were gathered from publicly available team rosters and verified sources. Variables include gender, degree type (Doctor of Medicine [MD] vs Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine [DO]), specialty/subspecialty, and leadership roles. Chi-squared and Fisher’s exact tests were used with Holm correction for multiple comparisons.

Results: Men comprised 91.2% of physicians; women represented 8.8% (p < 0.001). MDs made up 94.4% of the cohort, with DOs accounting for 5.6% (p < 0.001). Orthopedic surgery (44.7%), family medicine (15.5%), and internal medicine (13.2%) were the most common specialties. The WNBA had the highest proportion of female physicians (30.8%, p < 0.001). DO and female representation was lowest in the NFL and MLB. Among 184 head physicians, only 6 were DOs and 12 were women.

Conclusions: Team physicians in U.S. professional sports remain predominantly male and MD-trained, with underrepresentation of women and DO physicians across most leagues. These findings highlight the importance of continued evaluation of equity in elite sports medicine, particularly for non-surgical disciplines such as Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), which play an increasing role in musculoskeletal care.