'A dream come true': Athletic Therapy student part of Blue Jays' trip to the World Series

Sheridan student David Loiacono (Honours Bachelor of Applied Health Sciences - Athletic Therapy) loves the Toronto Blue Jays as much as anyone, but he isn't among the thousands of fans clamouring for tickets this week to see the franchise's first World Series appearance in 32 years.

That's because the fourth-year student will be busy working Major League Baseball's pinnacle event, assisting Blue Jays players during home games like he has the entire 2025 season through Sheridan's long-standing Toronto Blue Jays Sports Medicine Scholarship for Athletic Therapy. (In fact, current Blue Jays assistant trainer Drew MacDonald completed the same internship program as a Sheridan student in 2008, then spent eight years in Toronto's minor league system before joining the major league staff in 2019.)

“As someone who grew up playing baseball and is a lifelong Blue Jays fan, this is a dream come true. It's indescribable what it feels like to be in this position at the moment.”

– David Loiacono

"As someone who grew up playing baseball and is a lifelong Blue Jays fan, this is a dream come true. It's indescribable what it feels like to be in this position at the moment," Loiacono says. "I've already joked with people that if the Blue Jays win the World Series, I'll have to change careers. I'm not even a certified athletic therapist yet, and I'd already have been part of a team that won one of the biggest trophies in the world. The only other thing I can think of is trying to win a Stanley Cup with the Maple Leafs. It's pretty cool."

As the Blue Jays prepare to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2025 Fall Classic, we caught up with Loiacono to learn more about his unforgettable experience so far.

What led to you being selected as this year's Sheridan athletic therapy student to intern with the Blue Jays?

Sheridan’s partnership with the Blue Jays stuck out to me when I was researching athletic therapy programs in Ontario. Then, after my first day in the program, I called my girlfriend and told her I was going to get that internship. I tried to manifest it while also staying realistic with myself, knowing that if I didn't get it, it wouldn't ruin my experience at Sheridan and that I would do everything in my power to get another good internship.

Writing my resumé and going through the interview process for the internship, I wasn't sure whether to stay super professional or lean into being a huge Blue Jays fan who had played baseball my whole life. I found a balance between the two, and I think that's what helped me in the selection process. I love this sport, but I also knew professionalism was important.

Being a former baseball player myself has definitely helped. I'm able to better anticipate their needs because I can relate to what their bodies are going through. It also helps me understand the mental state they're in after a good game or a bad game, and even from a communication aspect of understanding the jargon they use off the field.

How has your learning experience at Sheridan prepared you for your internship?

Applied learning opportunities in labs and previous placements allowed me to sharpen my practical skills, and access to modalities (physical agents that aid with recovery) in labs made me more comfortable knowing when and how to use them.

Knowing and understanding human anatomy has also helped me anticipate the needs of players and training staff to set them up for success and make each day flow much more smoothly.

How have your responsibilities and experiences evolved throughout the season?

At the start of the season, everyone's pretty healthy, so my day-to-day routine mostly involved getting the clinic set up, preparing towels and trying to make everyone else's life easier. As the season goes along, players get banged up and sore from the ins and outs of playing sports, so I've had more opportunities to interact with the athletes and be more hands-on. They've also gained a sense of trust in me and the training staff has gained a trust in me.

A lot of the players are close in age to me so that has made connecting easier. We're from different worlds, but we also share similar interests. Sometimes the chit-chat has made it feel like they're buddies of mine, which is both cool and weird. At first, it was a little overwhelming, but now it's become pretty casual.

What have your days looked like during the playoffs?

It's been business as usual. Yes, there's a turned-up level of intensity, but routines are routines and players are creatures of habit.

On game days, I arrive at the Rogers Centre in the morning to help set up the clinic and make sure hot tubs and cold tubs are prepared. The players start to filter in during the afternoon, and we support them with their pre-game preparation routines. If the team is going to be traveling in the next couple of days, I'd be setting up the travel kits to make sure they're ready for the road.

Once the game starts, we're in the clubhouse clinic, following the action on television and working with any players who come in for treatment for that day's game, the next day or just routine maintenance. When the game is over, we support the players with post-game treatment, eat whatever the team chefs provide for the post-game meal, and then everyone gets on their way. I'm usually out of there by 10:30 or 11 p.m.

I imagine you stayed a bit later the night that the Blue Jays won the American League Championship Series (ALCS)?

Yeah, I definitely stuck around after Game 7.

It was awesome. Everyone was on the field, including all the staff and the players' families. I decided not to take any photos because I wanted to just celebrate with the guys, but I did Facetime my girlfriend and a few other friends so they could live vicariously through me.

At what point of the year did you and the team begin to get the sense that this might be a special season?

An early turning point came in May, when Bo Bichette hit a pinch-hit home run in the ninth inning to win a game in Texas. But I think things really took off during the Canada Day weekend series against the Yankees, when the Blue Jays won all four games and then built that into a 10-game winning streak.

Things suddenly felt really doable. We had a bunch of guys who were all pulling their weight and contributing in different ways. The Blue Jays ended up leading Major League Baseball in comeback wins, and that gave the players confidence that they were a gritty team that could always find a way. I think that's what helped them get to the World Series.

In the ALCS, two days after suffering a knee contusion — an injury that commonly requires a week of rest to recover from — George Springer was able to return to the Blue Jays lineup and went on to hit the series-winning home run. Can you describe the pride and satisfaction that athletic therapists get from seeing success of athletes they supported?

I've been able to see first-hand how the Blue Jays' training staff puts in so much work. Day in, day out, they're talking to other medical professionals, delivering hands-on treatment and doing whatever else they can to help the players be 1% better than they were yesterday and perform on the field. Training staff don't get their flowers as much as they should, but I bet if you ask pro athletes about the importance of training staff, they'd give them a lot of praise.

My main purpose of working in the athletic therapy field is being able to contribute to a team's success. Whenever I've supported an athlete — whether it's with pre-game preparation or even just running an errand for them — and then that athlete produces on the field with a home run or a couple of runs batted in or a stolen base, that's a big thing for me.

Sheridan's Honours Bachelor of Applied Health Sciences - Athletic Therapy is the longest-standing athletic therapy program in Canada, providing skills and experiences needed to become a certified athletic therapist. Please visit the program page for more information.

---

Pictured in article are (banner photo) Toronto Blue Jays players and staff, including David Loiacono, posing for a team photo after winning the American League Championship Series; (top photo) Loiacono on the field of Rogers Centre, wearing a Kevin Gausman giveaway t-shirt; and (bottom photo) Loaicono receiving the Sports Medicine Scholarship Award plaque from Blue Jays lead primary care physician Dr. David Lawrence during a recent pre-game ceremony at Rogers Centre. Banner and top photos submitted by David Loiacono; bottom photo by Adam Foley, The Sheridan Sun