Approximately 45 million children engage in interscholastic athletics in the United States annually. The exact figure varies from year to year, and the growth of athletic participation indicates that the estimate may be low. Perhaps one percent of that number will receive medical care other than simple physical examinations or episodic treatment for trauma. In Michigan and Maryland, research has shown that fewer than 50 percent of the high schools have physicians in attendance for contact sports. Attendance by physicians at junior varsity and junior high school athletic contests is considerably less frequent. School-based physicians are vanishing, and other health professionals have not assumed responsibility for preventive medical care for scholastic athletes. Rather, in many instances, the “athletic trainer” has assumed responsibility for the health and condition of the athlete.