Conference

Call for Papers

NASSM invites individuals to submit abstracts, including empirical, methodological, conceptual, and teaching-related types, for next year’s NASSM Conference to be held May 27-30 in San Diego, CA. Abstract submissions will begin to be accepted on October 1, 2024 with a deadline for submissions on November 1, 2024 (11:59 PM PST). Submissions received after this date and time will not be accepted or reviewed. Both completed research and research that is in progress are acceptable. Please reach out to Conference Academic Chair, Dr. Bri Newland (bnewland@uccs.edu), with questions concerning the CFP and conference academic program.

Abstracts must include the following information and conform to the following requirements. Please note the information that is submitted with your abstract is what is used to generate the online and print version of the Conference Abstracts, as well as the presentation schedule. As such, submitting authors should verify the correctness of all of the information provided. Please pay careful attention to the following:

• Fewer than 500 words, regardless of presentation type

• Presentation title using APA’s title case capitalization

• Body text only (do not include reference list, figures, or tables)

• Author name(s), institution name(s), and contact information

  • If your co-authors have alternate formats for their names, please check with them to ensure that you are entering what they normally use in their academic writing.

  • Do not use abbreviations or acronyms in the university names.

  • Do not include the title or author information within the body of your abstract.

• APA style must be used for all referencing

• Do not insert extra line breaks between paragraphs, or manually space in an indent for the first line of the paragraphs. Our template automatically formats the abstracts and such extra spacing must then manually be removed. The abstract submission system will provide you a preview page as a last step of the submission process—please make sure that you proof-read your abstract before completing the submission.

Presentations may be proposed in any of the following formats:

• A 20-minute oral presentation (including 5 minutes of Q&A)

• A poster

• A 60-minute full session symposium, roundtable, forum, or workshop

Authors’ names may not appear on more than two (2) abstracts/proposals of any kind (i.e., authors are limited to two possible presentations regardless of co-authorship or type of presentation). An exception to this limit is for an advisor to a student who is submitting an abstract. In this case, the advisor position must be clearly indicated in the author section of the submission and the first author must be a registered student at their institution at the time of the abstract submission deadline. 

Abstracts submitted to NASSM should not be concurrently submitted for consideration to another conference or have been previously presented at another conference. Submitted abstracts should not be of work published prior to November 1, 2024.

Teaching & Learning Fair Updates
Please also note that there are operating code updates related to the Teaching and Learning Fair. You will upload Teaching & Learning Fair abstracts with all other abstract categories. These categories are:

• Empirical - Work that uses research to test or build sport management theory and concepts, or reports data collected in the context of consultation to a sport organization.

• Conceptual - Work that presents new conceptual frameworks or expands existing ones, and which typically does not collect new data.

• Teaching Innovation (pedagogical research) - The purpose of these presentations is to acquaint sport management faculty with new methods or procedures that have proven useful in the classroom.

• Methodological - Work that focuses on new methods or innovative applications of established methods for sport management research. These may be illustrated with empirical examples, but the empirical component in this case should be intended to illustrate the method

• Teaching Innovation (teaching in practice) - Presentations are intended as means of sharing pedagogical ideas, strategies, assignments, projects, and other teaching and learning tools with sport management facultyAlso:Authors are only permitted to be listed on one (1) Teaching & Learning Fair abstract submission per year. This is in addition to the two (2) submissions allowed for the other traditional conference abstract categories. The abstract review process will follow the process outlined in the operating codes like all other abstract categories.

All abstracts must be submitted online using the abstract submission portal, which will require you to supply the following information. Note that we have adopted a new categorization and context mechanism to help organize the review process and scheduling of accepted abstracts. We recommend authors consider the lists below in advance of submitting their abstracts. Selections from the category/sub-category and context lists will be required during the submission process.

• Abstract Type [empirical, conceptual, teaching innovation (pedagogical research), methodological, or Teaching and Learning Fair (teaching in practice)]

• Presentation Category/Sub-Category

  • Communication (DEI in Comms, Digital & Social Media, Media Public Relations, Strategic Comms, other)

  • Events & Tourism (DEI in Events & Tourism, Experience Design, Marketing, Operations, Sponsorship, Sustainability, Tourism, Volunteers, other)

  • Facilities (DEI in Facilities, Experience Design,Marketing, Operations, Sponsorship, Sustainability, Volunteers, other

  • Finance/Economics (DEI in Finance/Economics, Economics, Finance, other)

  • Governance, Policy, & Law (commercial law, contract law, DEI in Law & Governance, dispute resolution, employment law, Entertainment & Media Rights Law, Gambling Law & Policy, Governance, Name, Image & Likeness, Policy, other)

  • Management (corporate social responsibility, DEI in Management, ethics, human resource management, leadership, organizational behavior, organizational capacity & change, strategy, work-life, other)

  • Marketing (athlete activism, branding & brand community, consumer behavior, corporate social responsibility, DEI in Marketing, fandom & fan identity, motivation, revenue generation, other)

  • Methodolgy (design, mixed-methods, multilevel analysis, qualitative, quantitative, other)

  • Socio-Cultural (community & socioeconomic background, DEI General, family, Gender, Sexuality, work-life, other)

  • Sport Development (Athlete Transition, Athlete Retention Strategies, DEI in Sport Development, Elite/High Performance Development, Sport for All/Mass Participation, Youth Development, other)

  • Sport for Development (DEI in S4D, Education, Health & Mental Well-Being, Human Trafficking, Humanitarian Relief, Social Capital, Sustainability, War & Conflict Relief, other

  • Sport Ecology (adaptation, circular economy, climate action, climate change, DEI in Ecology, environmental attitudes & behavior, environmental impact, environmental justice, sustainability, other)

  • Teaching Research & Pedagogical Innovation (career, case studies, DEI in Pedagogy, Delivery Modalities, Internships, apprenticeships, & practica, portfolios, problem-based, role playing & simulation, professional development & Mentoring, teaching pedagogy, technology integration, other)

  • Technology, Gaming & Innovation (blockchain, DEI in Tech, Gaming, & Innovation, Emerging tech & innovation , gambling, gaming & esports, Generative AI, Wearables & tech equipment, other

• Context Area (amateur sport, college sport, community sport, disability sport, elite sport, immigrant sport, international sport, Olympic sport, professional sport, recreational sport, school sport, youth sport, other)

• Presentation Type (20-minute oral; 10-minute lightning talk; poster; 60-minute symposium, roundtable, forum, or workshop, Teaching & Learning Fair)

• Principal Author’s Information

Abstract(s) submission indicates the intent of the presenter(s) to register for and attend the 2025 NASSM Conference. At least one presenter must register by the conference early bird registration deadline or their paper will be withdrawn. Presenters should be prepared to present at any time between first session (8:00 AM on Wednesday, May 30) and last session of the conference (4:30 PM on Friday, June 1). The Conference schedule will be released for review in March 2025. 

Abstracts can not be submitted prior to October 1, 2024, and MUST be received no later than November 1, 2024 (11:59 PM PST). Submissions received after this date and time will not be accepted or reviewed. All abstracts selected for presentation will be reprinted and published in the Conference Abstracts as submitted. Some editorial corrections will be made by the Program Chair, but there will NOT be an opportunity for authors to revise their abstract(s). Authors cannot be added after the abstract submission deadline has passed.

All abstracts will be subjected to a blind review. No preference will be given to longer abstracts. Review criteria will be based on the presentation categories as outlined below.

Empirical—Work that uses research to test or build sport management theory and concepts, or reports data collected in the context of consultation to a sport organization.

• Relevance/significance of the topic to sport management

• Review of relevant literature

• Clarity of purpose/objectives of the study/timeliness

• Appropriate methodology and data analysis

• Discussion/implications/applications

• Contribution to the body of knowledge

Conceptual—Work that presents new conceptual frameworks or expands existing ones, and which typically does not collect new data.

• Relevance/significance of the topic to sport management

• Review of relevant literature

• Clarity of purpose/objectives/timeliness

• Quality of theoretical/conceptual framework

• Discussion/implications/future directions

• Contribution to the body of knowledge

Teaching—Work that focuses on classroom methods/innovations and acquaints sport management faculty with new methods or procedures that have proven useful in the classroom.

• Relevance/significance of the topic to sport management instructors

• Review of relevant literature

• Clarity of purpose/objectives of the presentation

• Potential for impact on teaching quality

• Originality of teaching innovations suggested

• Contribution to the body of knowledge

Methodology—Work that focuses on new methods or innovative applications of established methods for sport management research (these may be illustrated with empirical examples, but the empirical component in this case should be intended to illustrate the method).

• Relevance/significance of the topic to sport management

• Review of relevant literature

• Clarity of purpose/objectives of the presentation

• Potential for impact on sport management research

• Originality in sport management of suggestions in presentation

• Contribution to the body of knowledge

Teaching and Learning—Work that shares pedagogical ideas, strategies, assignments, projects and other teaching and learning tools with sport management faculty (abstracts submitted under this type will be reviewed for NASSM’s Teaching & Learning Fair)

• Relevancy to Sport Management educators

• Timeliness of idea

• Usefulness in the classroom

• Clarity of submission

• Potential impact on teaching quality

• Contribution to the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL)

Abstract submissions will begin to be accepted on October 1, 2024 with a deadline for submissions on November 1, 2024 (11:59 PM PST). Submissions received after this date and time will not be accepted or reviewed. Both completed research and research that is in progress are acceptable. Please reach out to Conference Academic Chair, Dr. Bri Newland (bnewland@uccs.edu), with questions concerning the CFP and conference academic program.

Conference Registration

Below are the rates (in USD) for the 2024 NASSM conference that will be held May 29-June 1, 2024 in Minneapolis. Early bird registration ends on March 31, 2024, after which registration rates for conference will increase. Please note that current professional and student members should register for the conference in the Members section, where they can register for the conference at the discounted member rate. Non-members looking to become a NASSM member and register for the NASSM conference can do so by clicking the “Register Now” button below and following the form and payment instructions. Please note all non-members will need to create a NASSM.org account* first before selecting a registration and/or membership option and submitting payment/conference registration details.

Early Bird Rate (Before April 1)
$300 Student Rate (reduced by $25 from last year)
$535 Professional Member
$650 Non-Member

Standard Rate (April 1-May 29)
$400 Student Rate (reduced by $25 from last year)
$700 Professional Member
$800 Non-Member

Cancellation/Refund Policy
Cancellation prior to April 1: $50 of registration fee is non-refundable
Cancellation between April 1-May 15: 50% of registration fee is non-refundable
Cancellation after May 15: No refund of registration fee

*Membership Fees
Non-members (professionals and students) who wish to become a NASSM member when registering for the annual NASSM Conference can do so by clicking on the “Register Now” button below. You will be asked to create a NASSM.org account prior to selecting from a list of registration and membership options. NASSM membership fees are $150 for professional members and $80 for student members. Annual emeritus and lifetime memberships are available for those individuals who are deemed eligible. For more information or to request to become an emeritus or lifetime member of NASSM, please contact the NASSM Business Office at director@nassm.org.

NASSM memberships run from January to December. Unless you are a lifetime member (see below), membership needs to be renewed each year. Current NASSM members will be provided online access to the Journal of Sport Management (JSM) and the Sport Management Education Journal (SMEJ) via the NASSM members’ page. Any member that wishes to purshase a print component (JSM and/or SMEJ) must contact the customer service team at Human Kinetics directly to place the order (click here to contact HK).

*Donate to Women in NASSM (WIN)
Any professionals or students who wish to donate to Women in NASSM (WIN) can do so by clicking on the “Donate Now” button below. Every dollar donated goes directly to support WIN programming at the annual NASSM conference. Donations will contribute to the society being able to provide professional development, networking opportunities, and gathering spaces for women of NASSM. 

Sponsorship & Marketing

Be a part of the NASSM conference and showcase your organization at the largest academic conference in sport management! Sponsorships, ads and exhibitor opportunities surrounding the conference are limited and sold on a first come, first served basis. Want to learn more? Click below to view the NASSM sponsorship guide. Ready to become one of our sponsors? Send the NASSM Executive Director, Scott Soldat-Valenzuela, an email at director@nassm.org to discuss available opportunities.

• Maximize exposure and brand awareness to a relevant audience

• Build opportunities to network with colleagues and decision makers

• Access a broad network of professionals, students, and practitioners

• Showcase new products in the centrally located exhibitor fair

• Take advantage of increased marketing opportunities

Program Schedule/Book of Abstracts

Below you will find a link to the Program Schedule for the 2025 NASSM Conference to be held the week of May 28-31 2025 in Minneapolis, MN. A step-by-step tutorial on how to locate the program and your presentation time can be found HERE. At least one individual listed on each presentation must register for the conference by the early bird deadline (March 31, 2025). Please reach out to the Conference Academic Chair, Dr. Bri Newland (bln2@nyu.edu), with any questions about or change requests to drafted schedule (deadline for all change requests is February 28, 2025).

Extra Activities

We are planning exciting activities for the 2025 NASSM Conference.

Presenter Instructions

Oral Presentations

All presenters should bring their presentation file on a USB drive to the presentation so that it can be loaded directly onto the computer in the presentation room. Files will NOT be pre-loaded prior to the session. Each presenter should be prepared to upload their own file.

• A PC-based laptop will be provided by the Encore AV services for use during all presentations. Presenters will not be permitted to use their own laptops due to A/V and time constraints. All presentations must be compatible with Microsoft Office PowerPoint (most recent version) for Windows or Mac (.ppt). Please note that audio capabilities are not guaranteed, so plan accordingly and minimize the need for audio in the presentation.

• For the traditional 20-minute presentations there will be 15-minutes for the presentation and 5 minutes for questions. When questions have ended or when 20 minutes has elapsed (whichever happens first) the session is complete. There is 5-minutes for transition between sessions.

Poster Presentations

The dates and times of next year’s Poster Sessions and Teaching and Learning Fair are TBD.

• Poster Presentations: Each presenter will have access to an assigned poster mount board. Size of posters should not exceed 3 X 5 feet. Thumbtacks/push pins will be provided to those who need them. Posters should be set up prior to 8:00am on your presentation day and must be removed after your presentation session.

• Teaching & Learning Fair: Each Teaching & Learning Fair participant will share an 8-foot table with one other presenter. Table displays set up prior to 8:00am on your presentation day and all materials must be removed at the end of your session. No electrical outlets or power cords will be provided; all presenters' materials must be self-sufficient.

NASSM 2026

The North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) is excited to welcome academics, industry professionals, and students to exchange ideas, present research, and discuss issues of importance in the field of sport management—both theoretical and practical aspects—at NASSM 2026 in Puerto Rico (May 27-May 30). We look forward to seeing all of YOU there!