News
Research: Private club and travel teams on the rise in youth sports
By Jeff Grabmeier, Ohio State Research
A new study provides evidence of the explosive growth of private clubs and travel teams in youth sports over the past 60 years.
SSI-Supported Research Documents Rise in Parental Involvement in Youth Sports
In recent research, published in Leisure/Loisir, SSI Research Chair and Sociology Professor Chris Knoester teamed with Dr. Chris Bjork (Vassar College) to study changes in parents’ involvement in…
Maryland Football Design Director Danny Kraft Provides Career Advice in September Lunch 'N' Learn
By Reilly Cahill
Sports and Society Initiative held its first Lunch ‘N’ Learn of the 2025-26 academic year, featuring Danny Kraft, director of creative design…
SSI Director Nicole Kraft Named 2025 Tom White Media Award Winner
By Jay Wolf
The Little Brown Jug and the Delaware County Fair named veteran journalist Nicole Kraft as the recipient of the 2025 Tom White Media Award.
Kraft’s roots in…
SSI, ASC Career Success Provide Students an Inside Look at Sports Media at Ohio State Football Game
Students from communication, journalism, sport industry, and other majors gained a unique, behind-the-scenes perspective of sports media during the Ohio State football game versus Grambling State…
SSI Hosts ESPN Radio College Football Tailgate Broadcast
The Friday night before the Texas–Ohio State game brought a unique opportunity for Ohio State students as ESPN Radio’s College Football Tailgate broadcast live from the Journalism Building.
FOX Sports Event Discusses Impact, Growth, and Future of American Soccer in Advance of 2026 World Cup in US
Watch the Video
by Reilly Cahill
The World Cup will be held in the United States in 2026, the first time in more than three decades, and Ohio State received a special…
Sports and Society Initiative Graduate Student Research Grants Available For Fall 2025 Application
A limited number of SSI Student Research Grants will be awarded to graduate students who commit to conducting sports and society research with an SSI faculty affiliate for one year, beginning by…
Guest Column: How Sakha Cinema Reclaims Indigenous Sports on Screen
A guest post by Marge Stafford (pictured)
The Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures offers courses on Indigenous Siberian literature that introduce students…