Educational institutions sponsoring competitive athletics may use an athletics model, academic model, or medical model for delivery of sports medicine to student-athletes. Four types of legal risk are considered for these 3 models: litigation, contract, regulatory, and structural. The athletics model presents the greatest legal risk to institutions, whereas the medical model presents the least legal risk. Institutional administrators should consider these risks when selecting or maintaining a delivery model for sports medicine.
Keywords: athletic trainer reporting structures; contract; litigation; university liability.