Registration for the conference remains open; register now! The deadline to make hotel reservations at The Flamingo, Las Vegas with the APSE group rate of $62 per night is Tuesday, July 20.
The final schedule for the 2021 summer conference, to be held August 15-18, is as follows:
Sunday, August 15
11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Registration
Location: Convention Center, third floor
4 p.m.
Executive Committee / General Membership Meeting
Location: El Dorado
Presiding: Lisa Wilson, APSE president
7 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Opening Reception
Location: Garden View Terrace
Monday, August 16
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Registration
Location: Convention Center, third floor
9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
SESSION: Let us in: The media’s return to full in-person access
Moderator: Gary Potosky, Philadelphia Inquirer
Panelists: Gerry Ahern, The Detroit News; Roxanna Scott, USA TODAY; Keith Pompey, The Philadelphia Inquirer
The pandemic figures to be far less an issue when the new professional and college seasons begin. So how will the working media, teams and leagues navigate this return? What should we expect when it comes to in-person access to players, coaches and front office personnel?
10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
SESSION: Reinvention in a Year Like No Other
Location: El Dorado
Panel: Katie McInerney, Boston Globe; Paul Barrett, The Seattle Times; and Jorge Rojas, The Athletic (moderator)
How did news organizations adjust during the pandemic? What did we learn, what is here is to stay and what should go away? Let’s compare notes. And vent!
12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
KEYNOTE LUNCHEON
Location: Savoy
Guest Speaker: Carolyn Peck, Las Vegas Aces color analyst
2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
SESSION: Building Diversity: How to Find, Attract and Retain a Diverse Staff
Location: El Dorado
Panel: Stef Loh, The Seattle Times; Reina Kempt, The Courier-Journal; A. Sherrod Blakely, Boston University; Erik Hall, USA TODAY; Gregory Lee, Boston Globe; and Don Shelton, APSE Foundation (moderator)
Diversity has never been more important in journalism, but hiring is just one piece of a multi-step process in creating a diverse and inclusive sports department that reflects our audience and who we cover. This discussion will include strategies to find and track diverse talent and how to retain precious hires by building support systems and development opportunities. You’ll learn from the successes and failures of others and take home ways to improve your hiring and retention efforts.
3:45 p.m. – 5 p.m.
WORKSHOP: A Conversation with AP Editors
Location: El Dorado
Panel: Michael Giarusso, Barry Bedlan, Howie Rumberg, Oscar Dixon
Learn about what is in the works at The Associated Press, including expanded content around sports betting and fantasy, AP’s coverage of the Olympics, AP Newsroom improvements and more. Come chat with Michael Giarrusso, AP’s assistant managing editor and global sports editor; Barry Bedlan, global text products director; Howie Rumberg, deputy sports editor; and Oscar Dixon, regional sports editor for the South.
5:15 pm. – 6:15 p.m.
WORKSHOP: Small Organizations Share Ideas on Covering High Schools and More
Location: Mesquite
Moderator: Ed Reed, Gannett Florida
With staff and resources shrinking, the task of covering our communities continues to get harder. Join a discussion of how smaller markets are facing the challenge and working around their limitations.
6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
AP Newcomer’s Reception
Location: Garden View Terrace
Sponsor: The Associated Press
Tuesday, August 17
8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Registration
Location: Convention Center, third floor
9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
SESSION: Best Practices for Covering Sports Gambling
Location: El Dorado
Panel: Todd Dewey, Las Vegas Review-Journal; Patrick Everson, Props.com; Doug Kezirian, ESPN; and Bill Bradley, Las Vegas Review-Journal (moderator)
Since the changes in laws governing Sports Betting by the Supreme Court two years ago, coverage of the topic has exploded. Sports Betting is ripe for readership and page views. But there are many ways to cover it and many niche subjects to tackle. This panel discusses how they cover sports betting as well as how that coverage might change as more organizations decide to cover it.
10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
SESSION: Athletes, Mental Health and the Role of Traditional Media
Location: El Dorado
Panel: Jerry Bembry, ESPN’s The Undefeated; Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times; Rob Parker, FS1; and Leon Carter, The Athletic (moderator)
Naomi Osaka dropping out of the French Open after declining to do postgame interviews has led to a larger discussion in the media. What responsibility does the media have when athletes are having a personal or media crisis? What did we overlook? Are athletes getting fed up with the media? We also discuss Kwame Brown’s assault on the media for its criticism of him long after his career ended. Is he right?
12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.
RED SMITH LUNCHEON
Location: Savoy
Honorees: Christine Brennan (2020) and Sally Jenkins (2021)
Presenting: George Solomon, former Sports Editor, The Washington Post
2:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
SESSION: The Changing Role of the General Interest Sports Columnist
Location: El Dorado
Panel: Christine Brennan, USA Today; Sally Jenkins, Washington Post; Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times; Kurt Streeter, New York Times; and Bill Eichenberger, Las Vegas Review-Journal (moderator)
Once the job title every sports writer aspired to attain, the general interest sports columnists, our modern-day Red Smiths, are becoming an endangered species, replaced by sport-specific columnists. Four of the nation’s best still in that role discuss what is gained by keeping them in place and what is lost if they all disappear.
4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
WORKSHOP: Overview of Google Tools for Sports Reporting
Location: El Dorado
Moderator: Mike Reilley
Learn about all of the free Google tools that can help your newsroom build interactive charts, maps, visualizations and more. This is a hands-on workshop, so be sure to bring your laptop and smartphone. Tools we’ll cover: Google Flourish, Google Dataset Search, Mapchecking, Google Earth Pro, data scraping with Google Sheets and Tabula (scraping PDFs). Prior to the session, participants should set up a free account at Google.
Handout: http://bit.ly/spjresources
Flourish: http://flourish.studio
Wednesday, August 18
8 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Registration
Location: Convention Center, third floor
9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
SESSION: How We Did It: APSE Award Winners Discuss the Stories of the Year
Location: El Dorado
Moderator: Naila Jean-Meyers, The Star Tribune
A look at several of the best projects or stories of the year from our contest. A session built around great journalism.
11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
AWARDS BRUNCH
Location: Savoy
1:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.
MEETING: Closing Executive Committee Meeting
Location: El Dorado
Presiding: Gary Potosky, incoming APSE president
