Just as March ushers in a new NFL league year, it also brings in National Athletic Training Month (NATM) where athletic trainers spend the month of March promoting athletic training. This celebration of the profession is held annually in order to educate and create awareness about the expertise of athletic trainers. 

The theme for NATM 2014 is "We've Got Your Back." No one exemplifies this theme better than Vikings Head Athletic Trainer Eric Sugarman. He and his staff, who are considered among the best in the NFL, not only "Have the Back" of the Minnesota Vikings but are also extremely active in their support of the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA), Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society (PFATS) and the Minnesota Athletic Trainers Association (MATA).  

"Athletic trainers are health care professionals who work in a variety of settings and with all kinds of people; not all athletes wear jerseys," Sugarman said. "NATM is vital to help gain awareness and continue to grow the profession of athletic training. NATM highlights the responsibility that athletic trainers take on to help people and athletes every day."  

The NATA is the professional membership association for certified athletic trainers and others who support the athletic training profession. Founded in 1950, the NATA has grown to more than 35,000 members worldwide today. The mission of the NATA is to enhance the quality of health care provided by certified athletic trainers and to advance the athletic training profession. For more information visit http://www.nata.org.