S4SC with Sonny Vaccaro Day 2 Recap

Sonny Vaccaro presented to us, on day two, on "Life After the O'Bannon Case" and how it will affect the future of collegiate athletics.  Vaccaro gave the audience a solo presentation on his opinions on the result of O'Bannon v. NCAA and life going forward.  Sonny discussed how the NCAA represents control and how it takes control of many individuals, mainly the student-athletes.  Vaccaro used examples like how the NCAA has their own vocabulary.  Words, such as "student-athlete," "true freshman," and "collegiate model" are nowhere to be found in the English dictionary, but are only in the NCAA bylaws year after year.  They use these words to defend themselves against opposition saying the "kids" are athletes first and not students or are treated unfairly.

S4SC with Sonny Vaccaro Day 1 Recap

The 2014 Sport for Social Change Conference started off with a bang Thursday night!  Fans were blessed with a wonderful conversation between ESPN's Tom Farrey and basketball marketing legend, Sonny Vaccaro.  Vaccaro began his basketball marketing career with the Dapper Dan High School All Star Game in Pittsburgh, PA in 1965.  Dapper Dan was the first high school basketball all star game in the country; a groundbreaking idea by Vaccaro to help the public see the young basketball talent in the U.S.

Sport for Social Change Conference Preview

The Drexel Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU) will hold its second annual Sport for Social Change Conference, beginning on Thursday, Nov. 13 and concluding Friday, Nov. 14.

Thursday's portion of the Sport for Social Change Conference will feature a conversation with Sonny Vaccaro, the legendary sports marketing executive. The conversation will be directed by Tom Farrey, an enterprise reporter for ESPN and director of the Aspen Institute's Sport and Society Program. Vaccaro will speak about his involvement and thoughts about the Ed O'Bannon v. NCAA case.

Vaccaro and Farrey's conversation will take place at 6 p.m. in the Bossone Research Center's Mitchell Auditorium.

S4SC: Legendary Former Marketing Executive Sonny Vaccaro to Speak at Drexel

Sonny Vaccaro, legendary former Nike marketing executive, will speak at the 2nd annual Sport for Social Change Conference presented by the Drexel Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU) on Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, the SMTSU announced Wednesday.

The title of Vaccaro’s lecture is “College Sport at a Crossroads: Perspectives on the Demise of NCAA,” which will feature his experiences helping to grow the Nike empire, while fighting for student-athlete rights along the way. He will deliver his lecture from 11-11:50 a.m. on Nov. 14.

S4SC: Political Advocate Suzan Shown Harjo to Speak at Drexel

Suzan Shown Harjo, a prominent Native American political advocate, will speak at the 2nd annual Sport for Social Change Conference presented by the Drexel Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU) on Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, the SMTSU announced Monday.

The title of Harjo’s lecture is “The Washington R-Word: Racial Politics, Legal Challenges & Social Harms,” which will touch on her 40-plus years of work fighting for the rights of Native Americans. She will deliver her lecture from 1-1:50 p.m. on Nov. 14.

S4SC: Drexel SMTSU Announces 2nd Annual Sport for Social Change Conference

The Drexel Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU) is pleased to announce details for the second annual Sport for Social Change Conference.

Capitalizing on the success of the first edition of the conference last October, the SMTSU will hold the Sport for Social Change Conference on Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will be held in the Academic Bistro on the sixth floor of the Paul Peck Problem Solving and Research Center (aka Academic Building) on the corner of 33rd and Race St.

Holding the Sport for Social Change Conference in the Academic Bistro offers a unique opportunity to bring together all of the disciplines housed in the new Center for Hospitality and Sport Management. Students from Drexel’s culinary arts and hospitality programs will be preparing and serving all three of the meals during the event: breakfast, lunch and appetizers.

Just like last year, the event will be FREE and open to all.

Guard the Post: Why we love sports

On the outskirts of Pittsburgh lies a small suburb named Mars. The town, with a bustling population of about 1,700, is most well-known for its name and popular roadside attraction, the "Mars Spaceship". This week, though, a new light is shining out of the humble and quiet Pennsylvania town: Max Lamm.

Guard the Post: Sport is a business, but should the bottom line always be the first concern?

Patrick Hruby, keynote presenter at the first annual Sport for Social Change conference, said yesterday, "when someone tells you it's not about the money, it's probably about the money. And when that same someone won't even acknowledge said money, it's definitely about the money." A few weeks back, I highlighted the current state of the movement to change the name of the Washington football franchise. Naturally, it has developed. Again.

Guard The Post: Nelson Mandela: Sport Can Change The World

 

Now that we are two weeks since the passing of Nelson Mandela, and we are approaching the new year, I think it is an important time to realize how vital Sport is for the furtherance of our culture and society. Nelson, who led beyond the world of sport, spoke so eloquently about its value to our society as a whole and that it really can "change the world".

SBEN Live to Stream the Sport For Social Change Conference All Next Week

It is hard to believe that it has been almost two full weeks since the first annual Sport For Social Change Conference was held at Drexel University. Throughout the day, five different presentations presented on a variety of topics. Dr. Eric Zillmer and Bruiser Flint presented on athletes giving back and becoming role models. The Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation presented on developing our nation's youth with sport. Eli Wolff presented on access and inclusion to sport. Go! Athletes and Craig Cassey Jr. presented on LGBT issues in sport. Patrick Hruby presented on safety issues in sport.

It was a tremendous day and we are happy to announce that we will be sharing it in video again next week in conjunction with the Sports Business Education Network. Over the course of next week, SBEN will stream one presentation each day.

Check it out starting Monday Nov. 11, and use the hashtag #S4SC on Twitter if you tune in! Follow the link HERE.

State of the Student Union: October 2013

Wow, what a day it was for the Drexel Sport Management Student Union last Friday at the first annual Sport For Social Change Conference. Five different presentations and five different new ways to look at the sports that we already know and love. With these new viewpoints on sports from the professional levels to the youth levels, everybody’s horizons were certainly broadened and futures brightened. We all have the power to change the world in we live in through sports.

#S4SC in Review: Dr. Eric Zillmer and Bruiser Flint

The Sport for Social Change Conference started out on a surprising note, as Drexel’s Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Bruiser Flint joined Director of Athletics Dr. Eric Zillmer for the first presentation of the day. Tackling the issue of athletes giving back, Dr. Zillmer and Coach Flint both expressed the wonderful opportunities working in athletics presents for each of them. 

#S4SC in Review: Eli Wolff

Eli Wolff, Program Director of the Sport and Development Project at Brown University, spoke at the Sport for Social Change about the topic of access and inclusion for all athletes but specifically athletes with disabilities.  His presentation had three major parts. The first part that he spoke about was how he had his earliest advocacy movement.  When Eli Wolff was in elementary school he had a Physical Education teacher that would not let him do pull ups on the bar like the rest of the class.  He keep asking to do it until one day he had enough and in the cleaner version said “Screw you I can do this.” 

#S4SC Preview: Eli Wolff and Patrick Hruby

There are two questions that all sports need to consider. How can we make sports accessible to more people and how can we make the sports that we play safer for those that participate? Sometimes we can be blinded by the inevitable scandals or fantasy sports points. At the basis of sports, though, is the need to get people involved not to make money but to simply play. An accessible and safe sport is a great start.

On Friday at the first annual Sport For Social Change Conference, Eli Wolff and Patrick Hruby will share their insights on into how these questions can be answered.

Wolff is the program director for the Sport and Development Project at Brown University. His work and research revolves around the first question of making sports more accessible to all people. He has been in leader in this area working for greater inclusion in sports and education into sports for athletes with disabilities. Wolff is currently a philosophy PhD candidate with a focus on Olympic studies at German Sport University Cologne.

Hruby is a journalist for Sports on Earth, the joint venture USA Today and MLB Advanced Media sports website. Hruby's work focuses on the politics and social issues of sport, writing extensively about amateurism issues in the NCAA, the use of Native American imagery in sport, and safety issues in sports. His presentation at the Sport For Social Change Conference will focus on how we can make sports safer for the participants. Hruby has a mater's degree in journalism from Northwestern University and is also a contributor for Washingtonian Magazine and The Atlantic online.

Wolff will present from 3:00 to 3:50 p.m. and Hruby will immediately follow Wolff presenting from 4:00 to 4:50 p.m. to close out the conference. For further questions and inquiries, email the Drexel SMTSU at drexelsmtsu@gmail.com.

#S4SC Preview: Eric Zillmer and Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation

Following yesterday's preview of the LGBT Issues in Sport section by Kevin Giordano, today I will be previewing two other sections: Athletes Giving Back and Youth Development in Sport.

Dr. Eric Zillmer, the Director of Athletics and Carl R. Pacifico Professor of Neuropsychology at Drexel University in Philadelphia, will be presenting on the topic of Athletes Giving Back. A major part of the Master Plan of Drexel University is to become the most Socially Responsible and Civically Engaged institution in the United States; the Athletic department already does it's part to contribute to this goal. The Drexel Dragons give hours a year to the West Philadelphia community and surrounding neighborhoods and towns. The goal of this section of the conference is to portray how athletes and athletic entities can utilize their standing in society to give back.

The Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation will be presenting on the topic of youth development in sport. With a mission of teaching our country's youth the value of academics, hard work, and teamwork through hockey, the ESYHF serves over 3,000 children in the Philadelphia area. Sport is a microcosm of society; in turn, a lot of what you learn playing sports can be utilized outside the sport realm. Teaching out nation's youth about these core values at a young age is a responsibility for all sport organizations and there is no better example of this in the Philadelphia region than ESYHF.

Attendees of these sessions will learn how they can use their power as a sport organization to not only give back to society, but also help develop the youth of our country, all via sport. For questions or inquiries please email DrexelSMTSU@gmail.com.

Sport For Social Change Conference Schedule

10:00 to 10:45 - Sign In and Light Breakfast

10:45 to 11:00 - Introduction

11:00 to 11:50 - Dr. Eric Zillmer 

Topic: Athletes Giving Back and Being Role Models

Position: Director of Athletics

Employer: Drexel University Athletics

Additional Information

11:50 to 12:00 - Break

12:00 to 12:50 - Jim Britt

Topic: Youth Development via Sport

Position: VP and COO

Employer: Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation

Additional Information

*Panel Discussion

12:50 to 2:00 - Lunch

Buffet Style

Chestnut Street Caterers

2:00 to 2:50 - Eli Wolff

Topic: Access and Inclusion to Sport

Position: Program Director of the Sport and Development Project

Employer: Brown University

Additional Information

2:50 to 3:00 - Break

3:00 to 3:50 - Go! Athletes and Craig Cassey Jr.

Topic: LGBT Issues in Sport

Additional Information: Go! Athletes
Additional Information: Craig Cassey Jr.

3:50 to 4:00 - Break

4:00 to 4:50 - Patrick Hruby

Topic: Safety Issues and Remedies

Position: Journalist/Writer

Employer: Sports on Earth

Additional Information

4:50 to 5:00 - Conclusion

First General Body Meeting Thursday Night

The Sports Biz Report - Episode 2.1 - Sport For Social Change Conference

State of the Student Union: Welcome Back!

It's hard to believe that the 2013-14 school year is already here, but the Drexel Sport Management Student Union would like to give you a warm welcome back!

The Drexel SMTSU has been hard at work all summer long with some exciting events and opportunities coming up right away. We hope that you are as excited as we are to jump right into things and continue on our journey through the sports industry. Throughout this year, we hope to make that journey as enjoyable as possible and help all of you out along the way. After all, it's sports and, at the end of the day, sports are fun!

As mentioned, we have some exciting things on-tap from the onset of the year that I would like to bring to your attention.

Drexel SMTSU Announces Sport For Social Change Conference!

The First Annual Sport For Social Change Conference presented by the Drexel Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU) will be held on Friday October 25^th, 2013 at Drexel University. The conference will be FREE of charge for everyone that attends. The event will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the multi-purpose room of the James E. Marks Intercultural Center.

The purpose of the Sport For Social Change Conference is to examine how we as a society can change in a positive manner via sport.