December 31, 2024
In 2024, the Black Sports Professionals North Texas celebrated its fifth full year of existence with several key accomplishments directly attributed to the hard work of our Executive Board, members and corporate partners!
During the year, we again had another record-setting year with significant contributions from the dedicated efforts of the Board and numerous committee members volunteering their time to move forward our mission to CONNECT, EMPOWER and ADVANCE Black professionals in the sports industry.
Highlights from our past 12 months:
Scholarships: Our scholarships initiative, led by Scholarship Committee Chair Cherise Lee, distributed a chapter record of $25,000 to single-year high 12 deserving students. BSPNTX’s single-year record distribution came in the fourth year of its scholarships initiative bringing its total to $69,500 in dollars distributed to fund 38 scholarships for 33 college students with North Texas ties striving to be among the next generation of professionals with careers in the sports industry.
Chapter members and supporters supported BSPNTX’s scholarships initiative during giving opportunities throughout the year, including raising $5,199 during its annual Double Good fundraiser and $1,120 during North Texas Giving Day 2024, in addition to support from partners and member donations.
Programs & Events: Programs & Events Committee Chair Kelli Frazier guided the chapter through a very busy slate in 2024 with 16 events (three virtual, three happy hours and 10 in-person events). Two of the chapter's stable events – Women's History Month in March and State of Our Union: Being Black in Sports in the fall – set chapter attendance records. This year's Play Like A Girl: Phenomenal Women in Sports webinar drew the highest attendance in chapter history for an event with more than 200 RSVPs and the second-highest attendance for an event. The State of Our Union: Being Black in Sports webinar drew in Black Sports Professionals members from across the country and finished in the chapter's top four for virtual events in terms of RSVPs, overall attendance and concurrent attendees.
This committee responded to host new opportunities with the Major League Baseball All-Star Weekend in June and National Basketball Association Finals in July. June turned out to be the busiest month in the chapter's history with members engaging in six events.
Overall, the chapter's 2024 programs featured national, regional and local sports industry leaders sharing their insights and experiences in engaging and insightful conversations. BSPNTX programs and events remain an integral part of the chapter's mission and goals for our members.
Advisory Board: Administration Committee Chair LaDondra Wilson continued to lead our special projects. Wilson pulled together our year-end retreat to strategize for 2025 as well as manage relationships with the chapter's advisory board members tasked to help guide the future growth and direction of BSPNTX. In the year ahead, she will remain focused on helping the chapter determine next steps as an organization and for its members as we strive to stay current with industry trends.
Sponsorship & Fundraising: Victor Ribakare, our Sponsorship & Fundraising Committee Chair, helped the chapter extend its partnerships portfolio by adding FC Dallas and maintaining relationships with the Texas Rangers hosting the MLB All-Star Weekend and the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars going on postseason runs. Moving forward, the chapter looks to formalize its partnership with the Dallas Wings and grow our partners in college athletics.
We thank our partners for their support of the chapter this year and we look forward to extending our relationship with them for years to come:
Dallas Mavericks
Texas Rangers
Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Stars
FC Dallas
PGA of America
Reveal Suits
FastSigns North Arlington
University of North Texas Sport Entertainment Management Program
Membership: BSPNTX's active membership remained strong throughout the year, maintaining a monthly average of 150 active members.
Vice President and Mr. CommUNITY Breon Dennis is moving into a new role in 2025. With that, the chapter is looking for a new Membership Committee Chair in the year ahead. The person in this role must be energized to lead the chapter's membership engagement efforts, deliver more value for active members and implement strategies to bring in new members to eclipse our goal of 200 active members.
Mentorship Program: The chapter's Mentorship Program is slated to go through a reboot in 2025 to make sure it continues to be a key benefit for our seasoned members as mentors and our developing members as mentees. Our mentoring program is designed to create one-on-one interactions at a mutually agreed-upon pace to help mentees navigate being professionals and allow our mentors to share their perspectives to positively impact the next generation of the sports industry.
Marketing & Communications: The chapter is blessed to have the most detailed marketing and communications efforts in the BSP network of chapters and one of the best-in-class external strategies of any sports organization. Marketing & Communications Committee Chair Scottie Rodgers shows up and shows out on a regular basis for the chapter, elevating our reach across the Dallas-Fort Worth area and beyond. BSPNTX is one of the top two chapters in terms of Instagram followers and leads all chapters in LinkedIn followers.
The chapter received media coverage from MLB.com and WFAA-TV as well as a couple of mentions in the Sports Business Journal.
Finance: Vice President and Treasurer Greer Christian managed another record financial year for BSPNTX. She continues to make sure the chapter’s financial affairs remain in order and maintains the fiscal responsibility to keep the chapter in position for even more success in 2024 and beyond.
Administration: Our chapter's Secretary Nyzhe Primas transitioned professionally but never missed a beat in helping to manage the administration of our Executive Board. She also lent her social media skills to help the chapter's marketing and communications efforts as well as assisting with our programs and events when needed.
2024 was an incredibly dynamic year for the sports industry and BSPNTX. With the latest wave of opportunities, such as the emergence of women's sports, the college football realignment and the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, the impact of Name Image and Likeness, the transfer portal and the NCAA House settlement on college athletics and the growth of private equity opportunities and broadcast and media rights deals in college and professional sports, the business of sports has never offered so many opportunities to get involved.
Here in North Texas, we saw our sports teams and partners succeed on and off the fields of play – from the Mavericks and Stars postseason runs, to the Rangers hosting the MLB All-Star Weekend to SMU and Texas making it to the inaugural 12-team CFP. These and so many other opportunities created a wealth of opportunities to engage in the sports industry. And even more opportunities are on tap in the coming year as the Dallas Wings have the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Dallas Trinity FC is growing as the latest professional franchise to launch and North Texas gets ready to host nine World Cup matches in 2026.
Before we move forward to the year ahead, BSPNTX must give a special shoutout and recognition to one of our biggest and earliest supporters in Cynt Marshall. She kicked off one of the chapter's first big events at SMU when she became the Mavericks' Chief Executive Officer. She has been a staunch ally and supporter of BSPNTX. Although she will be missed with the Mavs, we look forward to her continuing to support our chapter and championing the sports industry in our region and beyond.
We also must take time to highlight members who have achieved professional and personal milestones. Past Board member Destiny Price had her first child and current Board member Cherise Lee is getting married, proving you can win professionally AND personally. Board members Kelli Frazier, Breon Dennis, Greer Christian and Scottie Rodgers secured new positions or received promotions with their current organizations. These are just a few examples of how personal growth and career success seem to come to those who serve the greater good for our profession.
Beyond all of our highlights and successes, we also experienced challenges with the threats and changes to diversity, equity and inclusion. As we move forward, 2025 is going to be a time to "stand on business" and stay dedicated to our mission to CONNECT, EMPOWER and ADVANCE Black professionals in the sports industry. We ask that you continue to support us, spread the word about us to new professionals who move to our area and remain steadfast in helping us cultivate the next generation of sports professionals.
BSPNTX is proud to be a leading chapter in the growing network of nearly 30 BSP chapters. We are united in the fight to create and steward future opportunities in the business of sports and invite you to join us on this journey.
We look forward to connecting and working with you to make 2025 our best year ever!
Larry Lundy
BSPNTX President
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