Greetings NASSS Members and Affiliates,

In this August newsletter, you will find updates regarding all things NASSS as we approach the upcoming 2019-2020 academic year!!! Major updates will include the 2019 NASSS Annual Conference in Virginia Beach, Virginia, NASSS new position appointments, and as always member registration.

In the News. . .

The summer months have filled our community with many noteworthy celebrations and issues of concern. All of which may support your current research agenda, allow additional line(s) of inquiry, and/or build upon course syllabi to enrich your students. As members of the NASSS, may we continue to always: " . . . promote, stimulate, and encourage the sociological study of play, games, sport, and contemporary physical culture."

Annual Conference. . .

The NASSS Preliminary Program Schedule is available for review. NASSS President-Elect, Dr. Jeff Montez de Oca and the program committee developed an outstanding theme: "Sport Sociology and the Responsibility for Decolonial Praxis, Decolonizing Minds, Indigenizing Hearts." Take a moment to review the schedule for the days, times, and moderators of your respective sessions. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact your session organizer(s) first and they will communicate with Dr. Montez de Oca - this year's conference program organizer.

The conference will be held November 6-9, 2019 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Have you made your travel arrangements? For more details on the conference accommodations, airport, registration, the DCCCs +1 Initiative and more please visit our website at https://nasss.org/2019-conference/

The NASSS Executive Board and I encourage all to visit the website for 2019 conference award opportunities as a few are highlighted below. Please note that there are a few awards with submission deadlines during the month of August. Should you have questions or require clarification, contact the Award Chair (See information below).

Lastly, Advertising and Sponsorship opportunities are available for the 2019 conference. This is a great opportunity for "businesses, publishers, and college and university programs to promote their products and services to North America’s largest annual gathering of sport sociologists". For more information and reservation deadlines, please contact the conference program organizer.

Executive Board Updates. . .

I am excited as NASSS has another opportunity to get involved and support the membership through serving. The following positions will be appointed in November during the Executive Board Meetings. Should you desire to serve or want to learn more about the capacity of these positions, please review the NASSS Policies and Procedures Manual (PPM) for details. https://nasss.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/NASSS-2018-PPM.pdf Additionally, you may want to contact the persons whom served in these amazing capacities:

• Elections Chair: Jessica Chin, San Jose State University

• Conference Director: William Bridel, University of Calgary

• Conference Site Locator (1): Robert Case, Old Dominion University

• Conference Site Locator (2): F. Michelle Richardson, Coppin State University

• Membership: Vacant - see PPM for duties or contact Akilah Carter-Francique, San Jose State University

Membership Updates. . .

NASSS is now utilizing CVent as our new membership and conference registration platform. We encourage you to renew your membership for the 2019 year. To determine your current status, please review our membership page at https://nasss.org/membership/.

Special Notes. . .

• In April 2019, McGill University dropped the use of the Redmen team name. The termination of the name used for the male athletic teams was attributed to the concerted efforts and influence of students, faculty and staff, alumni and other concerned stakeholders to include NASSS members and community. Special thank you to Dr. Victoria Paraschak. For more, go to https://www.universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/mcgill-drops-redmen-team-name/?cid=db

• There are not enough words to express the recent and tragic acts of gun violence in the United States. The Executive Board and I would like to express our support and condolences, as well as continued peace and safety to all of our members, institutions, communities, and beyond that are affected.

We urge our members and affiliates to remain connected with NASSS through the website, Sociology of Sport Journal, social media platforms, and through the range of scholarly involvements of our NASSS community.

Sincere regards,

Dr. Akilah Carter-Francique, President

NASSS Executive Board

• Josh Newman, Past President
• Jeff Montez de Oca, President-Elect
• Beth Cavalier, Secretary
• Brenda Riemer, Treasurer
• Courtney Flowers, Member-At-Large
• Rob Lake, Member-At-Large
• Parissa Safai, Member-At-Large
• Sophy Chan, Graduate Student Rep
• Jesse Couture, Graduate Student Rep
• F. Michelle Richardson, Diversity Climate Committee Chair (DCCC)

North American Society for the Sociology of Sport members wishing to gain Research Fellow status must have a continuous and high-quality record of scholarship, as outlined below.

Special consideration will be given to senior and emeritus scholars whose contributions to the field meet the eligibility criteria, but only when the date of recent publications and presentations is not considered.

NASSS Fellows will be announced and presented with the award at the annual conference in November.

Qualifications: The minimum criteria that must be met include Publications & Presentations.

See link for Qualification and Application details: https://nasss.org/awards/nasss-research-fellows/

Contact and Submit application packets to Akilah Carter-Francique at akilah.carter-francique@sjsu.edu