The University of South Carolina has become the first athletic program in the Southeastern Conference to apply high tech, proactive measures like SportsAide in its fight against the spread of staph infections throughout its athletic complex.

SportsAide, provided by SportCoatings of Rochester Hills, Mich., uses a patented, non-leaching microtechnology that creates a durable bond on sports surfaces and controls the growth of a wide array of bacteria, mold, fungi and algae.

"The University of South Carolina is very concerned about the health and well-being of our student-athletes," said Athletics Director Eric Hyman. "We've adopted a policy to use the most advanced technology available, like SportsAide, to provide the safest environment possible for our student athletes."

The unique 24/7 protection of the Sports Antimicrobial System (SportsAide, TurfAide and SportsAide fabric conditioner) is the reason it is protecting the locker rooms, training rooms, equipment and fields of the Washington Redskins, Miami Heat, Virginia Tech Hokies and teams across the country.

"We are thrilled to have the Gamecocks join the many teams protected by SportsAide," said Art McWood, president of SportCoatings.

Staph infections like Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have recently benched Paul Pierce and Delonte West of the Boston Celtics and three starting players for Stanford University football. This antibiotic resistant strand of staph has become a common visitor in sports teams, being passed person to person and via contaminated athletic equipment. Since 2003 there have been two fatal cases of staph in college football.

"The spread of MRSA is something we are very concerned about," said Dr. Rod Walters, USC Director of Medicine. "If not caught soon enough and treated properly, MRSA can lead to some serious consequences. By applying this product, we are making an investment in the continued good health of our student-athletes."

"It happens very innocently, an infected player uses a towel, treadmill, training table or whirlpool. The staph gets transferred onto the surface where the next athlete to use that piece of equipment picks it up - entering the body through a shaving nick, bruise or scrape," said Walters.

"Investing in the Sports Antimicrobial System to protect the athletic complex at USC, is investing in peace-of-mind that should last for years," said Jon Pritchett, CEO of General Sports Venue.

Later this year, USC will treat its synthetic turf fields with TurfAide completing the 360 degree coverage of its athletic complex.