In-Depth
SBJ ALL IN: National Society of Black Sports Professionals
With roots in recruiting, group aims for growth through empowerment
BSP teamed with RISE to launch the Sports Business Executive Accelerator and hosted a seminar at NCAA headquarters during NBA All-Star Weekend in February.National Society of Black Sports Professionals
In 2006, Bruce Wimbish was in an entry-level communications role with the Cleveland Cavaliers and surprised at how little interaction there was among Black sports staffers in the city. The Ohio native and several of his colleagues contacted counterparts at the Browns and Indians (now Guardians), ultimately leading to around 15 team staffers gathering for the first meeting of what would become the Cleveland chapter of the National Society of Black Sports Professionals.
Wimbish said that initial meeting was an “awakening moment,” and the group thereafter hosted monthly events while bringing in more local sports staffers from the Mid-American Conference, IMG and area universities. The network also emerged as a key recruitment tool for those organizations.
“Our team presidents, in the meetings with them to introduce the organization, they were like, ‘This is great, and we want to know about all of these talented people, lean on you as a recruitment resource and have you as a part of our efforts,’” Wimbish recalled. “When they were recruiting students, we would be a part of that recruitment process. ‘Hey, if you come to the Cavaliers, here are other folks already here that will act as your support system.’”
Wimbish, who since 2010 has served as BSP’s national president, now oversees a network of 24 city-based chapters at various levels of activity. Those groups collectively count more than 600 dues-paying members, and BSP has a national database of more than 4,500 individuals. That network serves as a resource for high school and college students who want to get into sports, providing résumé reviews, mock interviews and other career readiness programming.
This year, BSP partnered with social justice nonprofit RISE to launch the Sports Business Executive Accelerator. The inaugural six-month program has paired 20 participants with executive mentors from organizations including Learfield, the Los Angeles Dodgers, NASCAR and the University of Missouri. Program leaders hosted a half-day seminar at the NCAA’s Indianapolis headquarters during NBA All-Star Weekend and have arranged for monthly speaking engagements with leaders such as Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith.
Wimbish, who is also the director of development and communications for the College Basketball Parents Association, sees an opportunity for BSP to further establish itself with new alliances and work around major events.
“We want to, in the next three to five years, turn the corner from being an almost all-volunteer organization to having the level of resources to operate more at business speed,” Wimbish said. “There are a lot of ways that we can help our members that go beyond connecting them and get more towards empowerment and advancement.”
