Sports Dietetics: Impact Beyond Playing Fields

Abstract

Working toward the goals of the Academy’s Second Century initiative will create opportunities for Academy members to make a difference in existing areas of practice, as well as emerging ones. To name just one example: sports nutrition. This is a less-traditional but growing career path for registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs); practitioners bring enormous value to the athletes they work with, at all levels of age, skill, and competition (my college football team, the University of Georgia Bulldogs, has six RDNs on staff). And a sports dietitian’s value can extend far beyond the playing field. In my area of school nutrition, for example, we appreciate how sports RDNs give our student athletes the ability to better compete in practices and during games—and to do better in the classroom. “Sports nutrition is an evolving field with more job opportunities now than ever,” says Marie Spano, MS, RD, CSCS, CSSD. Spano is the sports nutritionist for the Atlanta Braves (Major League Baseball [MLB]), Hawks (National Basketball Association), and Falcons (National Football League [NFL]), and the co-editor of the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s Guide to Sport and Exercise Nutrition (Human Kinetics, 2011). “Individuals with experience in this nutrition specialty can work in a wide variety of settings including private practice, government, corporate wellness, fitness facilities, training facilities (athlete training), colleges and universities, as well as professional sports teams, auto racing, ballet studios, Cirque de Soleil, mixed martial arts, and more,” Spano says. “I encourage anyone interested in this field to think about the population they enjoy working with and can connect with. If you are unsure, intern in a variety of settings. Experience is key and a vast knowledge base is a must. Athletes are bombarded with more information now than ever, and what goes on in a lab isn’t even close to what happens in the field.” According to Roberta Anding, MS, RD, LD, CDE, CSSD, FAND, the demand for qualified sports dietitians is great, “but there is a need for a culture shift.” Anding is the former director of sports nutrition at Texas Children’s Hospital, and worked for 12 years as the Houston Texans’ (NFL) first sports dietitian. She now is the consultant sports dietitian for the Houston Astros (MLB) and Rice University. “Dietitians should be part of the sports science team translating science to the plate, and should be in a supervisory role particularly when it comes to foodservice. RDNs should not be making smoothies, but should be involved in menu and recipe development. An advanced degree and board certification are a must; they advance your credibility and that of the profession. You can also consider obtaining certifications such as becoming a strength coach or a personal trainer. Understanding exercise physiology and biochemistry are advanced skills that can enhance your practice,” Anding says. RDNs with clinical backgrounds may find more career options than are available in working directly with professional and college sports teams, Anding says. “Although RDNs may aspire to work at the higher level of sports, the number of these jobs is finite. We should further develop skills in the clinical arena. In a sports medicine or orthopedic clinic, RDNs work side by side with other members of the health care team and have daily interaction with MDs. It is an opportunity to learn more of the clinical aspects of sports medicine as well an injury management. My clinical background has served me well in all my roles in sports nutrition.” Board certification as a specialist in sports dietetics (CCSD) is one of six specialty certificates offered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration (www.cdrnet.org), and holding a specialty certificate can have financial benefits: According to the 2015 Compensation & Benefits Survey of the Dietetics Profession—downloadable for free to Academy members at www.eatrightstore.org/product/B2112E17-FF41-418C-8208-27539D3E5C0F —RDNs with a specialty certification can earn more in total cash compensation (including salary, earnings from bonuses, commissions, profit sharing, and other sources) than RDNs with no specialty certification.1Compensation & Benefits Survey of the Dietetics Profession 2015. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Chicago, IL2015Google Scholar In our Second Century, we have an opportunity to promote a shift in RDNs’ roles and responsibilities. As Roberta Anding puts it: “We should be bold, think big, and consider employment in corporations and wellness programs. Performance is important on the field and in the boardroom.”