Center for the Study of Sport in Society records

Content Description

Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society (CSSS) was founded by Richard Lapchick in 1984 to increase awareness of sports and their relation to society, and to explore the use of sports in bringing about positive social change. As one of its first projects to reform high school and college sports, in 1985 CSSS established the National Consortium for Academics and Sports to advocate for a balance between academics and athletics. CSSS’s programs later addressed more general social problems by means of athletes and sports. Established in 1990, Project TEAMWORK trained students in the value of diversity and conflict resolution. Beginning in 1993, the Mentors in Violence Prevention program worked to reduce men's violence against women. The Urban Youth Sports Program was founded in 1995 and enabled Boston youth to participate in organized athletic programs. Also established in 1995, Athletes in Service to America helped students to promote racial harmony, reduce violence, and achieve academic success. From 1989 to 2002, CSSS also published the Racial and Gender Report Card, which analyzed the hiring practices of women and people of color in the NBA, NFL, Major League Baseball, NHL, Major League Soccer, the Women's NBA, the NCAA, and its member institutions. Records of Kevin Matthews, Director, National Diversity Programs. Box list available in electronic control file. More generally,the records of the Center for the Study of Sport in Society (CSSS) document the activities of CSSS in its efforts to improve the integrity of amateur and professional sports in areas such as academic achievement for student-athletes, race and gender relations, reduction of violence, and community involvement. They also document CSSS’s unique mission to apply the principles of sports to solve social problems. This collection includes the files of Director Richard Lapchick, as well as those of Kevin Mathews (Director of National Diversity Programs), Eli Wolff (Assistant Manager, Disability Sport and Research), the media collections of Brylee Maxfield (Assistant Director, Director of Media and Communication,) and records documenting a variety of programs run by CSSS. Programs include Athletes in Service to America, National Consortium for Academics and Sport, Disability Sport Research Initiative, Mentors in Violence Prevention, Massachusetts Student Athlete Day, Athletes for Human Rights, Race and Gender Report Card, Excellence in Sports Journalism Award, Masters of Sports Leadership, Rhythm and Flow, and Project Teamwork. The collection is unprocessed. Accessioned 2006 Jan 13. Appraisal necessary. 38/4

Restrictions Apply

No

Access Restrictions

Records are closed for 25 years from their date of creation, unless researchers have written permission from the creating office.

Use Restrictions

Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the University Archivist.