3 – 5th June 2021Race Forward: Agents for Change in Sport Management “As the preeminent academic association for sport management research, teaching, and service, NASSM has accepted the call to action to address racial inequities within its membership and in the field of study. As noted in our statement on the death of George Floyd, in our many roles, we must seek to name and dismantle systems of oppression wherever we see them. As sport management scholars and educators, we are particularly attuned to the great successes of sport entities in moving social dialogue forward, along with the many failures. However, our silent study is not enough. In an era of growing racial tension, sport has maintained its front-and-center position as a space of protest and counter-protest. Sport management, as a discipline, must more fully explore the many ways the management and marketing of sport affect and are affected by race and racism. Hence, we call on our members to join us in working together toward a more just association, sport industry, and society at large.Accordingly, the NASSM 2021 conference theme,
Race Forward: Agents for Change in Sport Management, encourages sport scholars and educators to more fully explore our role in advancing racial justice through our research, teaching, and practice. Through topical sessions, the keynote presentation, and various conference events, we hope to initiate needed conversations about how our field and association can meaningfully work towards racial justice. Throughout the conference, we encourage our colleagues to discuss ways that race, racism, and social justice efforts have affected the management and marketing of sports, to weigh how racial dynamics are discussed and experienced in our classrooms, to ponder ways in which organizational cultures and climates impact the experiences of various racial groups, or to examine the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement on sport operations. Moreover, it is our hope that NASSM members will discuss our responsibilities as scholars and educators in this space, and advance evidence-based actions and initiatives we can employ to promote anti-racist ideals in our field.
Similar to past conferences, NASSM invites individuals to submit abstracts to traditional NASSM submission categories (here). However, an additional submission category focused on the conference theme will also be available for work that aligns with the conference theme. All submitters are encouraged to consider how this theme can be applied in their research and teaching so together we can move conversations about Race Forward.
Please email conference@nassm.org if you have any questions or concerns.”
