MRSA in Team Sports: What Coaches and Parents Should Know

Why teams see MRSA

MRSA is a type of staph that doesn’t respond to some common antibiotics. It spreads through contact with infected skin and with things that have touched it, and the CDC counts athletes among the groups at higher risk.⁵

Teams combine many risk factors at once. A 2003 CDC report on outbreaks among football players, wrestlers and fencers pointed to skin injuries from turf burns and shaving, shared towels, shared balms and lubricants, and shared equipment with no regular cleaning.³

One college football team saw 10 of its 100 players infected over about eight weeks. Players with turf burns and those who shaved their bodies were more likely to be infected, and so were cornerbacks and wide receivers, positions with a lot of skin contact.⁴

The good news is that the same reports point to fixes that are cheap and simple: showers, clean towels, covered wounds and clean equipment.³

What coaches and athletic staff can do

The CDC’s advice to coaches starts with a simple rule: keep athletic facilities and shared equipment clean all the time, whether or not an infection has happened.¹

• Clean shared equipment after each use, and let it dry before the next person uses it.¹
• Use household bleach, a detergent-based cleaner or an EPA-registered disinfectant on surfaces that touch bare skin, following the label.¹
• Set a regular cleaning schedule for shared items like mats, pads and other gear.³
• Make sure whirlpools and therapy tubs are disinfected properly between uses.⁴
• Encourage hand hygiene and a soap shower after every practice and game.³
• Make it easy for players to report skin problems early, without fear of being benched unfairly.

Athletic trainers are often the first to spot a skin problem. In contact sports, build a quick skin check into practice routines so small problems are caught early.

What parents and players can do

• Wash uniforms, practice clothes and towels after each use, and dry them completely in a dryer, not on a line.²
• Pack your child’s own towel, water bottle and razor, and teach them not to share towels, washcloths, clothing or ointments.²
• Cover cuts and scrapes with clean, dry bandages until they heal.²
• Shower right after practice, and don’t share bar soap.²
• Think twice about body shaving during the season. It was linked to infections in the college outbreak.⁴
• Check your child’s skin for new cuts, scrapes or bumps after games, and ask them to speak up about anything red or sore.

For more on shared gear, read towels, razors and water bottles: what athletes shouldn’t share.

If a player has a skin infection

Players should tell a parent, coach or athletic trainer about any possible skin infection right away.² Coaches should send the athlete to a healthcare provider and, for athletes under 18, let the parents know.¹

The CDC’s rule for taking part is clear. A player should sit out if the wound can’t be properly covered, meaning a bandage that holds in all drainage and stays in place for the whole activity.¹ A healthcare provider may keep an athlete out even when the wound is covered, if playing would put their health at risk.¹ Athletes with active infections or open wounds should stay out of pools and whirlpools until they heal.¹

Handle it quietly and respectfully. The goal is early care and clean habits, not blame. In contact sports like wrestling, other skin infections matter too; see wrestling skin infections.

When to see a doctor

Early treatment helps prevent complications.² Take a player to a doctor for:

• A bump or area that is red, swollen, warm, painful or full of pus⁵
• A skin infection with a fever⁵
• A skin problem that isn’t better within 48 hours⁵
• Several players with similar sores at the same time
• Any skin infection in a player who has diabetes or another long-term health condition

Don’t squeeze or drain a sore.⁵ Get urgent care or call 911 for high fever with fast-spreading redness, confusion or trouble breathing.

A season-long checklist

Go over the plan at the preseason meeting with players and parents, so everyone knows the routine before anyone gets hurt. Then revisit it midseason, when schedules get busy and habits slip.

• Cleaning schedule posted, and supplies stocked
• Every player has their own towel and water bottle
• First-aid kit with plenty of bandages
• Showers after every practice and game
• A clear, blame-free way to report skin problems

With these basics in place, you’ve covered the steps that matter most for keeping MRSA off the team.