instance, the time the sports DC can spend with each player at the ballpark is limited – as are the modalities they can offer. Players who value what you do will put a priority on their perfor-mance care. These athletes will make the trip to your office and pay out-of-pocket.” Football: 3rd and goal Thankfully, one NFL chiropractor came forward and agreed to be inter-viewed anonymously. The chiroprac-tor explained that since the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) does not require a team to have a chiropractor on staff, the only way a DC works for a pro team is by being an independent contractor. A pro team can call you their team chiropractor but it is up to you to negotiate a fee for your service. The DC said that in the past they were compensated with team season tickets, Super Bowl tickets, and team perfor-mance bonuses. The same is true north of the 49th parallel. I was able to interview To-ronto Argos DC, Dr. Dwight Chapin. He said: “I would agree with you that the expectations of young chiroprac-tors and/or students regarding com-pensation when working with athletes are unrealistic. I do not do it for the money. The compensation is mini-mal.” I contacted the Professional Football Chiropractic Society (PFCS), which is an association of NFL chiropractors. At first they agreed to entertain my query. However, once I started asking questions about money, their volunteer work, and the misinformation sur-rounding working in pro sports, they did not return repeated emails The question asked by many chiro-practors interested in treating pro athletes is: Do I need my sports spe-cialty to treat pro athletes? All of the pro sports DCs I inter-viewed said that certification and fel-lowship programs like the CCSP and the FRCCSS are not a requirement to work for professional athletes or pro sports teams. In fact, the majority of sports DCs I interviewed did not have them. In my nearly 20 years of prac-tice, I have treated and continue to see players from the Olympics, NLL, ECHL, NHL, NFL, and CFL. In that time, never has a player (professional or amateur) asked me if I have my sports specialty – they were simply interested in the ways my assessments/ treatments could benefit their perfor-mance. Sporting a specialty? www.Cndoctor.ca CND_DesignforHealth_JanFeb22_CSA.indd 1 January/February 2022 Chiropractic and Naturopathic Doctor 11 2021-12-16 1:21 PM
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