More on BEA Sports Division

Just to follow up on a recent post about the BEA's new sports division, the president is Michael Bruce of Oklahoma Baptist University. You can read more about Michael here, including his contact information.

Here's Mike's note to those interested in the group--


To: Members of the BEA Sports Division

We had a tremendous turnout for the organizing meeting of the BEA Sports Division at the convention in Las Vegas. Thanks to all of you that made an effort to attend that early morning meeting. I also want to thank Max Utsler, University of Kansas, for all of his work in getting the division organized and approved.

I wanted to follow up with some information about the division's leadership, and initiatives that we will be working on over the coming months. Leadership for the division is:

Rick Sykes, University of Central Michigan
Vice Chair

Steve Hill, University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point
Web manager / Newsletter editor

Rob Bellamy, Duquesne University
Paper Competition Chair

Tommy Booras, Western Kentucky University
Marc Krein, Oklahoma State University
Andrew Utterback, Eastern Connecticut State University
Festival Volunteers

The leadership will begin working immediately on the following division initiatives:

1. Developing a division mission statement and division by-laws. The division leadership is in the process of drafting these documents. The documents will be submitted to division members for comment and approval over the summer. After approval by the division membership, the documents will have to be approved by the BEA Board of Directors during their fall meeting.

2. Creating a web presence for the division.

3. Marketing the division to entities with interests in sports and media.

4. Making plans for division panels at the 2009 convention.

5. Organizing the paper competition.

6. Exploring the division's role in the 2009 BEA Festival. The division's involvement with the BEA festival in 2009 is contingent upon many factors. I do want to emphasize that the Sports division will not try to take sports categories from other divisions unless they volunteer to move those categories to us. So far, the news division has expressed the most interest in shifting categories to our division. Some sports categories may remain in other divisions for a while.

The division leadership values your input. We would like each member to be actively involved. Here are a few things you can do:

1. Promote the division to BEA members, and particularly non-BEA members, that may have an interest in sports media (i.e. sports-related organizations, other departments at your university that focus on sports media like marketing, advertising, business, or law).

2. Submit panel proposals. Deadline is in mid-August.

3. Plan to submit faculty and student research to the paper competition.

I look forward to working with you in the upcoming year.
Michael