What is the role, and the responsibility, of community-based sport entities and professional sports teams in addressing social challenges and driving meaningful change? This question is central to the mission of the School of Kinesiology’s Global Institute for Responsible Sport Organizations (GIRSO) and the cornerstone of its Social Innovation in Sport Competition.
“We created this competition to recognize and reward students for developing innovative solutions for sport entities to address a specific social problem within their respective sport community, whether the issue is pervasive locally, regionally, nationally or globally,” says Lisa Kihl, PhD, sport management associate professor and GIRSO director.
Each year the GIRSO Social Innovation in Sport Competition partners with a different sport entity to tackle an identified social issue. Sport organizations interested in collaborating with the University of Minnesota undergo a competitive selection process, and must commit to providing dedicated staff time and financial support to implementation of the winning student proposal.
Hockey took center stage in the 2021-22 competition, as student teams partnered with Minnesota Hockey and the Minnesota Wild to address racial inequities within the sport, including barriers to entry, discrimination and harrasment, and public perception of hockey as an “all white” sport. Student teams recommended specific socially innovative evidenced based practices and policies the sport entities could implement to begin addressing these issues.
“We are thrilled about the opportunity to work with Minnesota Hockey and the Minnesota Wild in 2022 to implement our strategies to increase hockey participation among diverse athletes,” says Lauren Espalin, sport management MEd student. Espalin and fellow team members Akua Tieku, Makenna Dowell, and Megan Netland, were selected by Minnesota Hockey and Minnesota Wild judges as the first place team, and will collaborate with both organizations to pilot and implement their proposed socially innovative strategy. Both first- and second-place teams also received a $500 cash prize from Minnesota Hockey.
“Minnesota Hockey is honored to partner with University of Minnesota students to eradicate discrimination, and promote equity and inclusion, in hockey at all levels of play,” says Glen Andresen, Minnesota Hockey executive director. “We’re committed to providing all players the opportunity to develop their passion for hockey, and look forward to building upon our leadership in fostering diversity. We couldn’t have been more pleased with the submissions from all of the student groups competing on this project, and it was obvious that all of them took it seriously and were aiming to make a positive impact, not just in hockey, but in our society.”
