"More Than a Game" Symposium to Promote Student-Athlete Mental Health Awareness

Register for this free event today

Falk College's Sport Venue and Event Management (SVEM) master's program will host, "More Than A Game," a virtual symposium dedicated to promoting athlete mental health awareness on April 21st. The lineup of speakers includes Syracuse University student-athletes as well as industry professionals.

Brittney Sykes '17 (current WNBA player for the LA Sparks), Cam Lynch '15 (former NFL linebacker) Morgan Alexander '21 (women's lacrosse), and Quincy Guerrier '23 (men's basketball) will all take part. Additional keynote speakers include Valorie Kondos Fields (PAC 12 Women's Gymnastics Coach of the Century), Dr. Jessica Bartley (Director of Mental Health for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committees), Breyah Richardson (Former Loyola New Orleans Women's Basketball player) founder of B.R.E.A.T.H.E, an organization designed to bring mental health resources to the Black community, Matt Davidson, founder and president of the Excellence with Integrity Institute; and Resa Lovelace, founder of RBL Theory, an organization dedicated to promoting workplace diversity and inclusivity. Dona Rodgers, founder of Morgan's Message will also be part of the event. Morgan's Message strives to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health within the student-athlete community and equalize the treatment of physical and mental health in athletics.

The topic of mental health was selected for its relevance in society, particularly sporting communities, where, regardless of age, race, gender, and/or sexuality, nearly 35 percent of professional athletes cite that they are coping with some form of a mental health issue. The Syracuse University Sport Venue and Event Management cohort of students aims to bring awareness to mental health issues affecting athletes and to provide a safe space for sharing important information and discussion.

A core component of Falk College's SVEM graduate program is a semester-long assignment where each class cohort collectively organizes an event that they host during the spring semester.

"This event provides students the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in event planning from start to finish. They have been able to learn how to do marketing, sponsorship, operations, and more through the executing of "More than a Game" virtual symposium. In what is a very different academic year for everyone, the students found an opportunity to still develop these skills while also focusing on such a meaningful topic right now," cites Associate Professor Gina Pauline, instructor of the Advanced Sport Event Management course for the past 6 years. This year's symposium, "More Than a Game" is a first of its kind within the program's history as a completely online event.

For more information and to register for this free event, please click here visit. Follow on Instagram and Twitter at @morethanagameSU.

Syracuse University Athletics

"More Than a Game" Symposium to Promote Student-Athlete Mental Health Awareness

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