Privacy is difficult to find in college football with boom microphones, camera crews, reporters and fans on social media wanting to chronicle every detail.
Things are amplified when a player is injured during a game. First, there are the cringe-worthy television replays from several angles, followed by speculative commentary. Then, there's the trek to the sideline trainer's table where thousands -- if not millions -- of people will watch a football player's every move.
Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said those intrusive moments are why the Seminoles -- and several other programs -- have started using medical tents on the sideline during games.
"It's not everybody's business what goes on," Fisher said. "What goes on with an injury, you don't want people seeing. Sometimes, you may have to take a guy's pants down. You may have to remove pads. You may have to do things, whatever they have to do. It's just a privacy issue."
The tent, which can open and close within five seconds, is set up over the traditional trainer's table. The player then can lay down and be treated or evaluated by athletic trainers and doctors without having to go to the locker room.
Florida State's tent already has come under heavy use this season with players like Dalvin Cook, Deondre Francois and Derwin James receiving extensive treatment at different times. At one point during the Miami game, Francois and backup quarterback Sean Maguire were both being checked out at the same time.
As for the tent, it's been trademarked as the "SidelinER," and it was created last year by engineering students at the University of Alabama. Jared Cassity, one of the tent's co-creators, said Alabama's head athletic trainer was looking for a way to make sideline treatment less of a public spectacle.
The prototype was created in nine days -- it was made of bed sheets and PVC pipes, Cassity told Warchant.com. About four weeks later, there was a working model similar to what's used today.
"We had to get the height right," Cassity said. "We looked at different angles in the stands to make sure nobody could see anything. We asked, 'How do we protect privacy? How do we give ventilation? And how can it be fast?' It had to be light enough for two people to carry."
The tent is indeed lightweight and can fit into a duffel bag.
Once the tent is erected, getting a glimpse of an injured player from any angle in a stadium is tough. While there are ventilation slots near the top of the tent, it's still difficult to see exactly what's going on inside.
Cassity said the first time the tent was used, he was sitting in the stands during an Alabama game. Once he saw it go up, he cheered because it was working properly.
"Whether we're fans or spectators, we want to be in the moment, and there's a natural curiosity as to what's going on," Cassity said. "Remember, these people are human and putting everything they have on the line. Also, they're kids."
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Cassity and his company, Kinematic Sports, have watched their tents pop up on several sidelines over the past year, including Alabama, the Buffalo Bills and FSU. He also said high school programs -- like national powerhouse Colquitt County (Ga.) - have began using the tents.
Privacy, however, is not free. The "SidelinER" sells for $5,000 per tent, and it includes a folding frame and a printed cover for the tent, according to the Kinematic Sports website.
Those covers also allow schools to offset the cost with advertising opportunities. FSU, through IMG Sports Marketing, reached an agreement to have the Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic logo on the tent during home games.
Scott Flanders, a senior account executive at Seminole IMG Sports Marketing, said it was a pretty easy sell once he contacted the clinic's CEO, Mark Didier, and then marketing director Bobbie Warren.
"I told her what we envisioned, and it snowballed from there," Flanders said.
While some have questioned whether the clandestine nature of the tents is appropriate when dealing with the health of amateur athletes, Fisher said the entire goal is to protect the players.
"It's like when you go to the doctor. You don't want everybody seeing what happens to you. So its the same way with players," Fisher said. "It also lets an opponent know what's wrong with a guy. What they're working on. What's going on here? What's going on there?
"Then you've got everyone in the world sitting there and watching. That's not always fun when you are going to the doctor. It's a privacy issue, and it makes it better for the kids and then you can address issues you need to address."
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