Annual Sapora Symposium Says "Let's Get REAL"

A Fighting Illini basketball legend
An on-air host and field reporter for Sirius Radio
A Chicago Cubs outfielder
The founder of the Bonnaroo Music Festival

These are some of the people students will hear from during the 2021 Sapora Symposium, the annual professional development opportunity for students in RST and across campus. Dr. Michael Raycraft, clinical associate professor in RST and director of the Sapora Symposium, says this year’s event will focus on entrepreneurship and best practice across the RST industry with the theme “Let’s Get REAL,” which stands for “Recreation, Sport and Tourism Entrepreneurial and Applied Leadership.”

“We keep evolving and taking the symposium to different places,” he said. “We really wanted to make connections with industry this year and feature people who are doing unique things.”

Like last year’s symposium, which focused on social justice, this year’s presentations will take place on Zoom. Dr. Raycraft says RST eventually may return to in-person panels, but he believes there will continue to be a virtual component.

“Zoom has really opened up access to people who would not have been able to make it to campus,” he said. “As we move forward, we’ll need to find the right balance between virtual and live.”

As in the past, the RST alumni family is represented among this year’s presenters. Dr. Raycraft says the Sapora Symposium presents alumni with a unique opportunity to stay engaged with their alma mater. “It also is an incredible opportunity for our students to learn from people who are in positions they hope to occupy someday,” he said, “and some of the most well-respected leaders in their fields.”

This year, the symposium gets underway on October 28 with a discussion of finding solutions by integrating assets. Panelists are agents with Excel Sports Management, which represents speakers such as Tiger Woods, Danica Patrick, Joe Montana, and Robin Roberts. Subsequent panels take place each Thursday through December 9 except for Thanksgiving, with additional sessions taking place on Tuesday, November 2, and Tuesday, November 16. Presenters include Jason Benetti, White Sox and ESPN play-by-play commentator and the only national broadcaster with cerebral palsy; Ayo Dosunmu, former Illini basketball star who plays with the Chicago Bulls; Dani Wexelman, host of Home Plate on MLB Network Radio Sirius 209; and Rich Goodstone, founder of the Bonnaroo Music Festival.

For a full lineup of events and further information, visit the 2021 Sapora Symposium page.