Free Market Fans: Look No Further
Jesse Pittsley, PhD
The adjoining interview between a college student and an exercise physiology
professor was designed to stimulate several topics of discussion regarding
the professionalization of exercise physiology. For those in support
of the “ASEP cause,” such an interview may be damaging or frustrating.
Regardless, it should be understood that the perspectives of many college
students do originate from current truths in our society. Furthermore,
these practices mimic ethical and accepted structural and economic markets.
In other words, don’t blame the messenger for the bad news.
The backdrop to this essay
Before beginning this essay, it is important to summarize and clarify
the environment that catalyzed this analysis. In reference to the
interview, Ms. Partridge is currently a junior majoring in psychology at
Richmond University in Virginia. This past summer, she was hired
by Ultimate Speed at Jupiter, Florida for a secretarial position.
Previously, Ms. Partridge had trained at the facility as an athlete.
And, needless to say, she was quite comfortable with the facility.
Her primary employment focus was to organize the complex scheduling of
over 100 athletes for two different supervisors and an intern. These
individuals had masters and doctorate degrees in exercise physiology, respectively,
while the intern had completed an undergraduate degree in exercise science
and was beginning a master-degree program at the end of the internship.
Much like the evolution of responsibility that is typical of an internship,
Ms. Partridge gradually moved from organizing the facility to working with
athletes in different aspects of the prescribed training program.
It should be stated that this training rarely occurred without the primary
supervisor working in the facility. It should also be stressed that
Ultimate Speed conducts its operations in a very professional manner and
traditionally only employs those with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree
in exercise science to work with its clients.
Anybody can do this until the market says they can’t
Recently, I heard a political strategist on the radio state, “Perception
is reality.” After some analysis during my nightly commute home,
I concluded that he was completely correct. Whether the topic is
religion or the “war on terror,” it is the public conceptualization of
a topic that decides truth. Exercise physiology, just like the national
political landscape, does not exist oblivious to this aspect of human nature.
The perception of exercise physiology is that anybody with a strong
interest and background in exercise can train athletes. Long-time
competitive athletes, or daily workout warriors with bumps and indentations
in the right places, are given a free pass by the public to work hands-on
with a variety of clients. I recall growing up as a distance runner
and being acquainted with several “great” running coaches who were sought
after by many athletes to improve their performance. These people
traveled around the country and were paid respectable fees for their speaking
and consultation. The same can be said for personal training.
This field is saturated with people who have few credible certifications,
but are still well paid for their services. In both of these examples,
the perception of experience and competence leads to employment, regardless
of the actual reality. Athletics and personal training are very similar
in that aspect.
There are many college football coaches across the United States making
more money than most of the professors on their campuses. I recall,
while attending the University of Kentucky, that the school newspaper released
the top 100 salaries at the institution. Three of the four highest
paid individuals were associated with athletics, and two assistant football
coaches were ahead of the majority of professors on campus. At first,
I was amazed that three people from the same college coaching staff were
earning over $100,000 per year. But, after a while, I began to accept
that logic was not associated with the phenomenon. And, eventually,
I became very happy for these people. I mean, if even three people
could make six figures a year coaching football in Kentucky (the heart
of basketball country), they were far more clever than I.
How did these men become qualified to obtain these positions and earn
these incomes? How is this possible around the country, especially
within athletic programs that are rarely profitable? Did these individuals
attend years of school and earn certifications in offensive coordinating?
Did they earn degrees in defensive line coaching? Is there a state
licensure document on special teams coverage? No, of course not!
These men are simply there because of perception and demand. Somewhere,
somebody thinks they are worth the money, and that is all it takes.
Economic conservatives and absolute fans of the free market system, you
have found your paradise!
Truth, anybody?
Those with a belief in the concepts of business will state strongly
that something will thrive only if the public declares it as a need.
Furthermore, these people will also contend that the best product (or often
times the best marketed products) will be the most sought after and the
most purchased. Therefore, the logical conclusion is that purchasing
implies quality. In terms of coaching, men and women obtain high-paying
coaching jobs because people perceive that they are qualified for the position.
It is likely that somewhere these people have proven themselves successful.
They have had winning records, retained great athletes, or have shown some
form of potential that others have found promising. Whatever the
reason, these people will remain in their positions until they are perceived
to be unsuccessful, until they are caught doing something illegal, or until
they quit. Regardless, these high-paid positions will continue to
be filled as long as the market will bear their existence. If people
begin to prefer other forms of entertainment, then the salaries will decline
and the positions will evaporate.
Personal training exists under the same premise. A person may
be paid a yearly salary over six figures if people perceive he or she is
competent and a provider of quality services. Therefore, a competent
personal trainer is simply whatever the public perceives him or her to
be, regardless of qualification, certification exams, or academic degrees.
In fact, in the free market, certification and similar items are just clutter!
One could even take a step further to state that this will remain true
until the public perceives a need for change. In other words, uncertified
personal trainers will remain employed until public perception disallows
this practice. Those with college degrees in exercise physiology
will risk losing income to these individuals, regardless of expertise.
Contrasting health care with personal training and athletics
If economic conservatives drool at the format for coaching employment,
they will quickly become nauseous at the analysis of the health care system.
This system, unlike coaching, is full of regulation from large organizations
and legislation. It is interesting that two service organizations
exist at such different poles. Health care in America is full of
certifications, licenses, and validating degrees. Nurses, physicians,
respiratory therapists, and many other health care professionals are extensively
regulated by organizations and state guidelines. Large athletic programs
wouldn’t think twice about hiring somebody who failed to minor in coaching
during their undergraduate studies; whereas, obtaining access to any health
care patient requires at least one acronym behind a name, if not more.
How are these systems so different?
To address the significant divergence between athletics and health care,
it is important to address both the similarities and the differences.
First, both fields can be complicated and difficult, and the generalizations
of “dumb jocks” and “brainy” health care workers are unwarranted.
Few people would argue against the statement that basketball coach Bobby
Knight is a pretty sharp guy. Also, we understand that professional
football coach John Gruden isn’t getting up at 4:30 a.m. every morning
to figure out that tough card game called “UNO.” Both are in their
positions for reasons beyond basic charisma. Sure, these guys aren’t
trying to invent an artificial lung, but only a handful of health care
workers actually are. Organizing a group of people to perform
correctly is difficult no matter what situation one is in. People
need motivation, rules, guidelines, and feedback in both athletics and
health care. In terms of cognitive skill, finding the correct zone
defense is probably just as taxing as finding the correct diagnosis or
pharmacological intervention. Both are possible with the right preparation
and a clear thinking process.
Furthermore, on the other side of the coin, an equal amount of idle
time and repetition is prevalent in both professions. Unmotivated
members of both fields probably spend an equal amount of time in the breakroom
drinking coffee and eating Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Laziness is not
cured by either the free market economics or excessive government regulation.
Both can just as easily succumb to reality TV or long afternoon naps.
In other words, the reader should not confuse difficulty and workload with
regulation. Controlling the speed of a treadmill is no different
than smothering somebody with a preparatory gel. Given some training,
a child could do both simultaneously.
Exponential certification
The mandatory nature of health care and its consequence
Despite the similarity in intellectual rigor, there is a notable difference
that may contribute to the difference in public perception and professional
standards of these areas. Health care is often mandatory. While,
theoretically, one could refuse medical treatment, either directly or by
choosing not to visit a physician, this is not common. As a result,
most citizens of the United States require some form of health care.
In contrast, enrolling in an athletic program or paying for personal training
is a voluntary activity that the consumer has undertaken with accepted
risks and consequences. The health care system is not based upon
the same economic free market foundations that are common with personal
training and athletics.
Health care is not as malleable as Uncle John browsing the Sunday newspaper
ads for the best price on an appendectomy. This is not possible,
since many medical procedures are more acute and occur in emergency situations.
Bidding for the best surgeon prices on EBay is not an option after being
shot in the thigh. Therefore, insurance companies, under the risk
of losing customers and money, must be assured that the rendered services
are from an expert that will consistently perform to standard. Without
this, the insurance business would be worthless and there would be little
perception of trust between the citizen and the insurer.
It is this relationship between the consumer, the insurance company,
and the actual health care service that makes it all work. The consumers
desire good services and the insurance companies have the negotiating power
to require a consistent product. This requires health care providers
have proper credentials. The insurance companies will only compensate
for specific services provided by specified individuals and professions.
Therefore, they educate their clients on the appropriate sources of care
and the public also begins to demand that everything is valid and certified.
Finally, with external pressure coming from the both the patients and the
insurance companies, the health care providers choose only to employ licensed
and certified workers and the whole system feeds upon itself.
What is a company to do?
Companies such as Ultimate Speed offer advanced training to motivated
athletes. Clients enter the facility with an understanding of the
general training format, the quality of treatment they will receive, and
the desired outcome. The clients pay a certain amount of money (i.e.,
$600 for six weeks), which is used by the company to pay for facilities,
insurance, equipment, and personnel. Overall, the clientele are educated
regarding the product and they are aware of the potential consequences
in the program (i.e., injuries, minimal increases in performance, and the
usual) It is a consumer-based system, and if the consumer does not
like the product for the offered price, the product will be modified or
eliminated. In this volunteer/consumer based system, who cares about
credentials! If people don’t like the quality of the product, they’ll
stop paying for it. Or, if the frequency of negligence is alarmingly
high, few will enter this business with the risk of lawsuits and legal
action.
A company’s desire to pay the bills, (or to even earn a profit) will
motivate the employers to get the most work out of the cheapest employees.
Simply examine the hiring practices of companies as large as Wal-Mart,
or even small landscaping businesses. Both hire minority and immigrant
workers for a strong faction of their work force. In terms of numbers,
it is good business until the public no longer allows it. Corporations
such as Gold’s Gym and Curves are no different. Consequently, companies
in the sector performance/personal training hire employees from the fringe
of exercise physiology because of two reasons: (1) salaries of more
qualified individuals are considered an excessive burden; and (2) they
can.
The trump card
With all this support for “survival of the fittest” economics, it is
easy to forget one important similarity between our health care system
and the personal/performance training sector. Both industries require
direct person-to-person contact in situations that may result in injury.
Both athletics and health care place the client in situations that risk
permanently damaging the client. Whether it is a physical agility
drill, or a simple medical procedure, an incompetent supervisor may induce
harm. Therefore, it is this significant similarity that separates
these markets from selling MP3 players or vacuum cleaners. Person-to-person
contact necessitates more regulation.
But, before we close, let’s list a few truths.
-
It is true that exercise facilities all over the country will continue
to employ countless individuals that do not have valid certifications or
college degrees in the field of exercise physiology.
-
It is true that many college graduates in exercise physiology will be economically
forced to leave these positions in search of higher pay and more benefits.
-
It is true that the public will continue its apathetic stance towards this
until somebody works to modify the public perception of truth.
The markets of personal/performance training have two very conflicting
areas to their economic and structural designs. The health care system
is layered with certifications, accredited programs, and licensure.
Its nearly mandatory nature implies that a very consistent product must
be available. As a result, health care professions exist without
one or all three of these items. In contrast, the model used by professional,
university, and even high school athletics requires relatively little regulation,
and places more emphasis on experience and performance. The consumers
have a lot of freedom when making their choices.
Personal/performance trainers have the right, since the public allows
them, to choose between the models that work best for them. Companies
in this market can hire fleets of psychology majors to train their athletes
until the public stops them. Or, these companies can also require
intense certifications and degrees to ensure employee quality. The
principal incentive of the company will decide the course of action.
A professional organization, such as ASEP, understands that these companies
have money as the primary motivation. If the facility can save $5,000
a month by hiring cheaper labor while enduring infrequent complaints from
the clients, this practice will continue. Consequently, ASEP finds
itself working to educate the public to expect more of the product it purchases
and the trainers to expect more from their employers. Until the perception
of the public and the qualified trainers change, the current truth will
remain.
