The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) is an organization formed in 1991 by a group of family physicians who recognized the need for an organization within the field of sports medicine that addressed overall health and functional capacity as it relates to the whole patient. The AMSSM provides a link between the rapidly expanding core of knowledge related to sports medicine and its application to patients in a clinical setting. The clinician best suited to practically establish that link is the sports medicine specialist.