LSU Manship School of Mass Communication to Host 2021 Women in Sports Summit

March 11, 2021

BATON ROUGE—From the success of women’s leagues following 2020’s sports industry shutdown to the promotion of women to highly respected leadership positions, recent shifts in the sports industry have the potential to change the view of women’s roles in a male-dominated space. The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication will explore the many roles of women in sports at the 2021 Women in Sports Summit on Thursday, March 18, at 2:30 p.m. CST.

The summit will feature two panels: Evening the Playing Field: A Look at Gender Equity in Women’s Sports at 2:30 p.m. CST and From the Sideline to the Front Office and Everywhere In Between: The Rising Roles of Women in Male-Dominated Sports at 4 p.m. CST. Manship School alumnae and hosts of The Southeastern Podcast, Caroline Fenton, a digital content producer at ESPN, and Kennedi Landry, a reporter for the Texas Rangers at MLB.com, will moderate the event. 

Aryanna Prasad, a multimedia journalist for Sports Illustrated’s Seahawk Maven and the International Paralympics Committee, is among the summit’s panelists. The Manship School alumna highlights themes of culture and justice in her writing, as she notes these topics are more prevalent than ever in the sports industry today.

“I am thrilled to be able to return to the Manship School for this discussion on women in sports,” Prasad said. “Women face discrimination in every corner of the industry, from employers, sports fans and even fellow journalists, and the only way to change that is by speaking up. I am a proud supporter of the #WomenInSports movement and seek to highlight the intersection of sport and social justice in my work. It’s such a timely conversation to be having, especially given the cultural shift we’re seeing across the sports world to be more inclusive of women from all backgrounds.”

The full agenda is listed below.

Evening the Playing Field: A Look at Gender Equity in Women’s Sports

  • Liz Dalton, Managing Director of Competition and Player Affairs, National Women’s Soccer League
  • Cheri Kempf, Senior Director, Athletes Unlimited
  • Tyler Tumminia, Commissioner, National Women’s Hockey League

From the Sideline to the Front Office and Everywhere In Between: The Rising Roles of Women in Male-Dominated Sports

  • Celeste Gehring, Senior Remote Operations Manager, New England Sports Network
  • Aryanna Prasad, Staff Writer, Seattle Seahawks, Sports Illustrated
  • Jourdan Williams, Assistant Media Counsel, NASCAR

The event is Thursday, March 18, at 2:30 p.m. CST and will take place via Zoom. Admission is free and open to the public, but you must register in advance. Reserve, via Eventbrite, your virtual seat in the conversation by Wednesday, March 17. The event will also be recorded and uploaded to the Manship School’s YouTube channel.

For more information, contact Kelci Sibley at ksibley1@lsu.edu or (225) 578-0416.

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The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs is partnership-driven, action-oriented and dedicated to exploring contemporary issues at the intersection of mass communication and public life. Its interdisciplinary approach draws together experts from diverse fields to advance research and dialogue. The intent is to inspire our communities to think deeply, take action, develop solutions and broaden knowledge. Underlying the Center’s endeavors is to strengthen and advance the Manship School’s national and state leadership in media and politics.

LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication ranks among the strongest collegiate communication programs in the country, with its robust emphasis on media and public affairs. It offers undergraduate degrees in public relations, journalism, political communication, digital advertising and pre-law, along with four graduate degree programs: master of mass communication, Ph.D. in media and public affairs, certificate of strategic communication, and dual MMC/law degree.

 

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