Fritz Pollard Alliance Honored at the Black Sports Business Symposium

Executive Director Michele Meyer-Shipp presented a workshop and was recognized alongside Baltimore Ravens President Sashi Brown.

The 5th Annual Black Sports Business Symposium (BSBSV) convened June 10–12 on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C., bringing together executives, athletes, brands, and rising professionals from across the sports industry for three days of programming focused on access and opportunity in sports business.

Executive Director Michele Meyer-Shipp represented the Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation at this year’s Symposium, presenting a workshop that drew a full house — every seat taken — and receiving the Advocate of the Year Award at the Symposium’s closing gala. Sashi Brown, President of the Baltimore Ravens, was honored the same evening with the Executive of the Year Award.

Breaking the Huddle: Black Talent in Football

Michele’s session, presented as part of the Symposium’s Down to Biz and Executive Leadership programming, was a solutions-focused think tank on why Black talent still faces barriers to senior coaching and executive roles in college and NFL football — and what teams, universities, and search firms can do about it. The workshop centered on three objectives: identifying the barriers to Black advancement in football leadership, exploring mentorship, sponsorship, and hiring solutions, and surfacing concrete actions to improve accountability and representation. True to the FPA’s approach, the conversation stayed honest about the gap between promise and progress while staying focused on solutions clubs and universities can actually act on.

FPA members John Park (Dallas Cowboys) and Jackie Davidson (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) also took the stage at this year’s Symposium, appearing on panels alongside Michele’s workshop — a reminder of how many FPA members are shaping the conversation about access in this industry, not just navigating it.