CEO’s Welcome
A message from Kenneth L. Shropshire In sport, as with everyday life, one certainty is that unexplored questions will always remain. As we pondered what to highlight in this year’s annual report, what emerged for our team was the joy of witnessing our work become more contextualized than ever. As we each navigated this year’s ups and downs, we were able to bring several topics we examined into cultural relevance. The wins and losses in sport became a metaphorical mirror of what individuals, organizations and communities were facing at large. Making our way out of the tumult of 2020, it often felt impossible to take an accurate snapshot of where sport stood. As a society, we learned everything from optimizing a Zoom background to adapting how we work, communicate and play during a pandemic. By the early part of 2021, bustling stadiums and live events had become the norm once again, but the social change that enveloped the United States and much of the world significantly altered the way we consumed and discussed sport. As an institute, we always ask ourselves, how do we more deeply examine a topic? How can our research and resources be utilized to break the surface conversation and, instead, dig into the solution space? With that in mind, we reinforced our place in the sporting world: to provide new knowledge and resources that make a positive impact on sport and the people whom sport touches. Our Field Studies series expanded our examination of race, gender and education level when it comes to who gets a seat at the leadership table in sport. We checked the pulse of the United States public on several sports questions through the GSI National Snapshot Poll. We continued to support ASU’s academic community with seed grants, and we served a number of stakeholders in the sport
industry including athletes, sports entrepreneurs and sports organizations. Beyond that, we tackled issues that traversed society, both within and beyond the world of sport. The critical subjects of race, mental health, legislation, business and technology are just some of the matters we have earmarked as places where we can best serve. In this report are impactful examples and stories of the people and groups we are proud to have been arm-in-arm with on this work.
“...we reinforced our place in the sporting world: to provide new knowledge and resources that make a positive impact on sport and the people whom sport touches.” — Kenneth L. Shropshire, Chief Executive Officer of ASU Global Sport Institute
News rushes by these days and the world is constantly facing crises of varying levels. The inclination might be to reach out and grab hold of something, anything. We continue to take pride in being a source of knowledge and innovation in sport. This past year showed that we must continue to remain conscious within our work and trust our instincts as we pursue new lines of inquiry.
Kenneth L. Shropshire Chief Executive Officer, Global Sport Institute and adidas Distinguished Professor of Global Sport
G LO B A L S P O R T I N ST I T U T E
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