In 2006 on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, 15 Black sports professionals from the Cleveland Browns, Cavaliers, and Guardians—who all didn’t know each other—met at the Ritz Carlton for a powerful moment of awareness, community, and a commitment to create a change.
From that meeting, the decision was made to develop an organization that would turn into National Society of Black Sports Professionals, affectionately known as BSP.
Throughout the year, BSP will be sharing its storied and important history in connecting, empowering, and advancing Black professionals and students in the sports industry.
Black Sports Professionals (BSP) Turns 20
Sports Business Executive Accelerator
BSP and RISE created and launched the mentor and mentee participants in the inaugural cohort of the Sports Business Executive Accelerator in February 2024. During NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, BSP and RISE hosted the inaugural cohort of mentees for a half-day seminar, hosted at the NCAA National Office.
BSP and RISE welcomed the Sports Business Executive Accelerator’s Cohort II mentors and mentees at the program’s leadership retreat at State Farm Stadium and the Glendale Renaissance in early 2025.
