It’s not hard to find a college football fan in Tuscaloosa. And it’s not hard to find someone who likes a good, old-fashioned hit. “Smash mouth” football, as they often call it, is legendary in these parts.

It is harder to find fans who know firsthand just how violent, painful and damaging our beloved brand of football can be for our favorite football athletes. Or how hard it is just to keep the players healthy and in peak physical condition for their grueling championship runs.

This week, Tuscaloosa Rotarians will learn more about the challenges of keeping not only college football players healthy, but elite athletes in all of our sports, and the challenges of treating them when they are injured. Dr. James Robinson, UA’s team physician for the Athletic Department, will speak to the club.

Robinson has served as UA’s head team physician since 1989. He has a private practice, West Alabama Family Practice and Sports Medicine in Tuscaloosa. He is also director of the Dr. Bill deShazo Sports Medicine Center at the University of Alabama, and oversees the Sports Medicine Fellowship for Family Physicians.