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Mission Statement

The mission of the SCMS Sports Media Scholarly Interest Group (SIG) is to promote scholarship that examines sports media—including film, television, and social media, among other forms—through a variety of lenses within the broader context of cinema and media studies. Scholars analyze sports media from a variety of perspectives, including global and transnational media, media industries, fan studies, cultural analysis, and others; yet, the specificity of the ways in which sports are entangled with advertising, sponsors, sports leagues, governments, networks, universities, and athletic celebrities necessitates contextualized knowledge and best research practices. While the academic profile of sports media scholarship is growing and more and more faculty positions in the field are added each year, scholars who study sports in film and media studies are often the "only one" in their department and sometimes face skepticism that their object of study should be taken seriously. Thus, we seek to provide a collaborative space for SCMS scholars at various stages of their careers (including graduate students, early-career and senior scholars, as well as non-tenure-track colleagues) to come together to stimulate discussion about the latest developments in the field, mentor each other, and brainstorm future directions. Establishing a formalized space at SCMS for mentorship and collaboration will not only provide avenues to enrich the vibrant work already taking place in sports film and media studies but will contribute to SCMS's mission to promote "a broad understanding of media through research and teaching grounded in the contemporary humanities tradition."

Bylaws Membership, Meetings, and Voting

• The members of the Sports Media SIG and SIG steering committee shall be members in good standing of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies.
• Annual meetings of the SIG will be convened at the SCMS conference.
• At all SIG meetings, a majority of the members shall constitute a quorum for transaction of business. When issues are submitted to the members of the SIG for a vote via e-mail, the members shall have seven (7) business days to respond.

Steering Committee and Co-Chairs

• The Steering Committee is responsible for developing and endorsing panels and workshops at each conference, including any special SIG panel or workshop sessions, and deciding how SIG funds will be spent annually.
• Election of Steering Committee shall be conducted at the first annual meeting of the SIG during the 2020 SCMS conference while all elections after will be conducted annually via email.
• Two non-graduate student members of the SIG will serve as co-chairs for staggered terms of three years each.
• Co-chairs will be responsible for communicating with the membership, organizing the annual meetings and preparing minutes of the business discussed, reporting annually to the SCMS Board of Directors on the group's activities and attendance figures for the last meeting, and advising on the maintenance of the website.
• Three other members comprise the remainder of the Steering Committee. At least one member should be a graduate student. The SIG will further prioritize Steering Committee members from underrepresented groups and in non-tenure track positions.
• Non-graduate student members of the Steering Committee can serve additional three-year terms, but not consecutively.

Travel Funding

• The Sports Media SIG will dedicate a portion of its allocated SCMS funding to travel funds for graduate students or others in positions of precarious employment.