Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/665755
While there were a few folks who delivered massage to professional baseball players in the decades before Stork, such as "Joe the Rub" with the Yankees, Starr says Stork brought a professionalism to the work that had been missing. Today, Starr says he would be surprised if there were any teams left that don't affiliate with massage therapy in some way. Mariner agrees: "Massage in baseball is much more prevalent now. Just in the course of discussing the role of sports medicine in the clubhouse, the mention of massage therapists is just standard." And that conversation will only broaden to include the realm of preventive massage work for athletes, "especially given the investment in players and that it's much less expensive to keep them healthy and on the field," he says. Terry Pendleton, a third baseman for the Marlins in the '90s, and current first-base coach for the Atlanta Braves, says massage made a huge difference in keeping him on the field. "I was an older player—35—at the time, so I needed a little more to keep me in everyday play," he says. "I would see Jody about twice a week and would even go to her school for extra work, and to be a guinea pig for her students." Before coming to the Marlins, Pendleton says he had never seen a massage therapist at the ballpark. The players wanted the MTs on site, but the medical staff didn't, he says. "I don't think other teams really understood what massage could do to keep you on the baseball field." Today, Pendleton says most clubs have massage therapists on staff, including the Braves. In the big leagues, Pendleton says, "massage is definitely here to stay." Stork credits the emergence of massage in professional baseball with her home team. "The Marlins are really the ones that started it. The entire Marlins organization was about the health of the players. It was about the mind-set this particular organization had in 1993; they were so far ahead in their thinking." GROWING STRONGER With the acceptance of sports massage growing exponentially throughout the various athletic communities, here and abroad, there is no better time for therapists interested in pursuing this genre. "The kind of opportunities we have now did not exist 20–30 years ago," Kousaleos says. But what's important, Vaughn cautions, is that the profession continues to expand the education requirements for massage therapy in general to include improved assessment skills, because ultimately in sports massage, "your strategy of care is only as good as your assessment." Karrie Osborn is senior editor at Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals. Contact her at karrie@abmp.com. C h e c k o u t A B M P 's l a t e s t n e w s a n d b l o g p o s t s . Av a i l a b l e a t w w w. a b m p . c o m . 71 W H Y C H O O S E S I G H T U N E S M O N T H LY M U S I C F O R M Ts? REASON #3 It's a good D.E.A.L.! Regular price $9.99/month. Try for 99 cents for 2 weeks. Save more if you're ABMP Certifi ed ($5.99 vs $9.99) • Each month:10 hrs music • NO ads ever • Super affordable • Royalty free • Just press "Play" www.sightunes.com 800-619-1410 TM Subscribe today! It's not a lot and you'll save big if you're ABMP Certifi ed