Photo by: NJ Sport Pics
C. Vivian Stringer Named Sports Business Journal Leader in Diversity & Inclusive Hiring
Mar 31 | Women's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Rutgers head women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer has been honored by the Sports Business Journal as a Leader in Diversity and Inclusive Hiring as part of a special report in the March 29 issue of the magazine and website.
Sports Business Journal recognizes the men and women across professional and college teams, leagues and conferences who have led by example in the hiring decisions and efforts they have made to advance the sports business careers of women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community. These are the individuals whose names came up again and again in the Sports Business Journal's months of research and outreach to those working in the diversity, equity and inclusion space.
The efforts of Coach Stringer and other honorees are changing what sports properties look like and how they conduct business.
While Coach Stringer's current coaching and support staff is no exception, the 2009 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee has a 50-year career in the college game with similar impact in diversity and inclusive hiring. Her hiring practices have had an exponential effect as they have translated to an ever-growing coaching tree throughout women's basketball across the country.
The following is an excerpt from Sports Business Journal Publisher and Executive Editor Abe Madkour's column about the Diversity and Inclusive Hiring project:
"Recognize the people doing the work."
That's what a frustrated sports business veteran said to me in one of our many conversations on efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion. They were frustrated with me because I, again, endeavored to pick their brain on what Sports Business Journal could do in this area. For the past few years, SBJ had invited industry leaders to take part in an afternoon discussion on this topic, but they were tired of me suggesting another "group roundtable" to pinpoint issues or obstacles. They didn't want another get-together where the same issues and concerns were expressed but little came from it.
They wanted more, and I still hear their exasperated voice rattling in my head.
"There are so many people who do more than just talk about this. They are doing something about it," they said. "Without these people making these decisions, nothing will change, and you will just keep having your panels."
Our conversation grew more animated, but the point was clear — find the people changing the face of sports organizations and use our platform to tell their stories and show how these leaders are providing greater opportunities and leadership positions for underrepresented talent throughout sports.
So, that's what we are doing in recognizing 43 leaders representing 33 organizations in this issue. We started this research six months ago, with a very specific goal: Who is recruiting, hiring and retaining diverse talent; who has a proven track record of providing opportunities for the underrepresented; and who has an "executive or coaching" diversity tree of success. That is what we focused on, and that is important, because we got pushback from sources when we were not clear enough on our mission. This isn't just about advocacy and public expression; it is designed to find people who have been — and are — "doing the work" in recruiting, hiring and retention and making sports organizations look like all of society. These leaders also view this as a business strategy resulting in better results and outcomes.
The project got so overwhelming that we needed to reduce our scope for this inaugural effort and focus on the NFL, NBA, WNBA, NHL, MLB, MLS and their teams, as well as college conferences and universities. So that's the sole group we considered. … We want to stress that this isn't a science, and we know there are far more people than we could recognize in this section who are "doing the work." But in this inaugural effort, we focused on those leaders most frequently mentioned in our outreach or those whose stories may not be as well known. This isn't an "award" or "best of" list. It's an effort to recognize some of the leaders and change agents who are making a difference in this important area. They are examples for the rest of the sports business, which is making diversity, equity and inclusion a priority throughout organizational ranks.
Follow Rutgers women's basketball on Twitter and Instagram (@RutgersWBB) for all of the latest news and updates. The team is also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersWBB). For all Rutgers Athletics news follow us on Twitter(@RUAthletics), Instagram (@RUAthletics), and Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
- RU -
Sports Business Journal recognizes the men and women across professional and college teams, leagues and conferences who have led by example in the hiring decisions and efforts they have made to advance the sports business careers of women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community. These are the individuals whose names came up again and again in the Sports Business Journal's months of research and outreach to those working in the diversity, equity and inclusion space.
The efforts of Coach Stringer and other honorees are changing what sports properties look like and how they conduct business.
While Coach Stringer's current coaching and support staff is no exception, the 2009 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee has a 50-year career in the college game with similar impact in diversity and inclusive hiring. Her hiring practices have had an exponential effect as they have translated to an ever-growing coaching tree throughout women's basketball across the country.
The following is an excerpt from Sports Business Journal Publisher and Executive Editor Abe Madkour's column about the Diversity and Inclusive Hiring project:
"Recognize the people doing the work."
That's what a frustrated sports business veteran said to me in one of our many conversations on efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion. They were frustrated with me because I, again, endeavored to pick their brain on what Sports Business Journal could do in this area. For the past few years, SBJ had invited industry leaders to take part in an afternoon discussion on this topic, but they were tired of me suggesting another "group roundtable" to pinpoint issues or obstacles. They didn't want another get-together where the same issues and concerns were expressed but little came from it.
They wanted more, and I still hear their exasperated voice rattling in my head.
"There are so many people who do more than just talk about this. They are doing something about it," they said. "Without these people making these decisions, nothing will change, and you will just keep having your panels."
Our conversation grew more animated, but the point was clear — find the people changing the face of sports organizations and use our platform to tell their stories and show how these leaders are providing greater opportunities and leadership positions for underrepresented talent throughout sports.
So, that's what we are doing in recognizing 43 leaders representing 33 organizations in this issue. We started this research six months ago, with a very specific goal: Who is recruiting, hiring and retaining diverse talent; who has a proven track record of providing opportunities for the underrepresented; and who has an "executive or coaching" diversity tree of success. That is what we focused on, and that is important, because we got pushback from sources when we were not clear enough on our mission. This isn't just about advocacy and public expression; it is designed to find people who have been — and are — "doing the work" in recruiting, hiring and retention and making sports organizations look like all of society. These leaders also view this as a business strategy resulting in better results and outcomes.
The project got so overwhelming that we needed to reduce our scope for this inaugural effort and focus on the NFL, NBA, WNBA, NHL, MLB, MLS and their teams, as well as college conferences and universities. So that's the sole group we considered. … We want to stress that this isn't a science, and we know there are far more people than we could recognize in this section who are "doing the work." But in this inaugural effort, we focused on those leaders most frequently mentioned in our outreach or those whose stories may not be as well known. This isn't an "award" or "best of" list. It's an effort to recognize some of the leaders and change agents who are making a difference in this important area. They are examples for the rest of the sports business, which is making diversity, equity and inclusion a priority throughout organizational ranks.
Follow Rutgers women's basketball on Twitter and Instagram (@RutgersWBB) for all of the latest news and updates. The team is also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersWBB). For all Rutgers Athletics news follow us on Twitter(@RUAthletics), Instagram (@RUAthletics), and Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
- RU -
Women’s Basketball Head Coach Gary Redus II Introductory Press Conference
Tuesday, March 17
Coach Redus Press Conference
Tuesday, March 17
Women’s Basketball Post Game Press Conference - Penn State
Sunday, February 22
Women’s Basketball Post Game Press Conference - Minnesota
Sunday, February 08
