Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich, Founding President of the United States Sports Academy Academy founding president Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich, a long-time leader in sport and sport education around the world, was recently selected as the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Commendation Award from the Alabama Senior Citizens Hall of Fame. Rosandich will be recognized for the honor at the 2021 Alabama Senior Citizens Hall of Fame Ceremony in Montgomery, Ala. The Alabama Senior Citizens Hall of Fame has honored and recognized Alabamians aged 60 or older for their outstanding contribution to the lives of older members in their local communities since 1983. Those selected as Permanent Members of the Hall of Fame are formally honored and recognized for their selfless advocacy and dedication of service to others at [...]

The United States Sports Academy is pleased to announce online voting is open for its Athlete of the Month ballot for the month of July, featuring 12 candidates from five countries who made an impact in their return to sport after a hiatus due to the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone is encouraged to cast a vote. Voting will continue until 5 p.m. Central time on Thursday, 13 August 2020. Male nominees are Michail Antonio, football (soccer), England; Nick Castellanos, baseball, United States; Michael Norman, athletics, United States; Mauricio Ortega, discus, Colombia; Jon Rahm, golf, Spain; and T.J. Warren, basketball, United States. Female nominees are Ivona Dadic, heptathlon, Austria; Rachel Daly, football (soccer), England; Sylvia Fowles, basketball, United States; Shelby Houlihan, athletics, United States; Sandi Morris, pole vault, [...]

Mike Moran The Academy is mourning the loss of longtime United States Olympic Committee (USOC) communications leader, Academy honoree and friend Mike Moran, who passed away from complications related to pneumonia on 7 July 2020. Born in Omaha, Neb., in 1942, Moran served the USOC as its chief communications officer and principal spokesman from 1978-2003 and during the Olympic games starting in Lake Placid in 1980 through Salt Lake City in 2002. A friend of the Academy, Moran was instrumental in working with the institution to organize the U.S. Olympic Sport Art Competition, which the Academy hosted for four consecutive summer Olympic cycles between 2000 and 2012. He earned the Academy’s 2006 Distinguished Service Award for his lifetime of dedication to the Olympic movement in the United States. [...]

The United States Sports Academy is pleased to announce the return of its online Athlete of the Month ballot for the month of June, featuring 12 candidates from seven countries who made an impact in their return to sport after a hiatus due to the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone is encouraged to cast a vote on the Academy’s website at www.ussa.edu. Voting will continue until 5 p.m. Central time on Thursday, 9 July 2020. Male nominees are Crispin Duenas, archery, Canada; Denny Hamlin, auto racing, United States; Jakob Ingebrigsten, athletics, Norway; Dustin Johnson, golf, United States; Park Kun-woo, baseball, South Korea; and Karsten Warholm, athletics, Norway. Female nominees are Ashley Hatch, football (soccer), United States; Therese Johaug, athletics, Norway; Annimari Korte, athletics, Finland; Emily Pedersen, golf, Denmark; [...]

Jillian Rosandich United States Sports Academy sport management faculty member Jillian Rosandich has been accepted to attend and participate in the International Symposium “Sports, Society, and Culture” in December 2020. The symposium is co-sponsored by Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington D.C. and the International Olympic Academy (IOA), with support from Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece. The symposium brings together students and faculty from universities around the world for a scholarly exchange of ideas on sports, society, and politics. The event will be held online this year because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to lectures, the symposium places emphasis on the blended learning approach. Students will have access to a list of core readings in advance of the symposium. Presentations will be followed [...]

Dr. Brandon Spradley The poster presentations tackling sport-related concussion issues crafted by a pair of United States Sports Academy faculty members were featured by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) at its recent virtual conference. Chair of Sports Management Dr. Brandon Spradley and exercise science faculty member Robert Herron had three abstracts accepted as poster presentations at the ACSM conference, which was held online instead of in person due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The presentations cover issues related to use of the King-Devick concussion test on high school athletes. Spradley is the lead author of the presentation titled “Between-Trial Reliability of the King-Devick Test in Female High School Athletes,” while Herron is the lead author of “Between-Trial Reliability of the King-Devick Test in Male High School [...]

The United States Sports Academy has endorsed the newly revised National Standards for Sports Coaches (NSSC) set forth by the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE America) and promoted by the United States Center for Coaching Excellence (USCCE). The 3rd edition of the NSSC is scheduled to be published in book form later this summer. The new SHAPE America standards include 42 standards such as athlete-centered coaching philosophy, long-term athlete development, unified vision in strategic planning, alignment with rules and regulations and needs of the community, and management of resources in a responsible manner. The new NSSC are organized into the seven core responsibilities of sports coaches which closely align with both the International Sports Coaching Framework and the Quality Coaching framework from the United States Olympic Committee. The [...]