NEW YORK -- BIG EAST Conference Commissioner Val Ackerman was joined by a cross section of sports executives, non-profit leaders, government officials and athletes at a roundtable workshop held on October 16 in Vatican City, Rome to explore the beneficial impact of sport on society and to encourage sports programs that foster human, educational and spiritual growth. The meeting was an outgrowth of the Vatican-inspired Sport at the Service of Humanity (SSH) initiative, which was established in 2016 to promote global solidarity, inclusion, peace and positive social change. Players Coalition (PC) and Sport for Impact co-hosted the event, and PC co-founder Anquan Boldin, 2015 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, participated in the workshop.
Ackerman was also joined at the Sport For Good workshop by representatives from the United Nations, the International Olympic Committee, the Council of Europe, ESPN, UEFA, the English Premier League’s Brentford FC, Caritas International, the Krause Group, Champions for Good, and Food For The Poor, and by former athletes from the sports of men’s and women’s soccer, basketball, and track & field. The workshop was moderated by David Eades, former correspondent and news anchor for the BBC, and Philip Leopold, CEO of Sport at the Service of Humanity Foundation.
The meeting was the latest in a series of gatherings following “Sport at the Service of Humanity: The First Global Conference on Faith and Sport” held at the Vatican in October 2016, for which Ackerman served as an advisory member. That event was followed by five U.S.-based, invitation-only, SSH conferences exploring similar themes, held at Villanova University (2017), Loyola Marymount University (2018), Georgetown University (2019), Marquette University (2023) and Creighton University (2024).
“The BIG EAST was honored to be included in the latest SSH working group session, the goals of which align perfectly with the mission of our schools to develop the athletic, academic and spiritual dimensions of our student-athletes and to bring the many societal benefits of sports to our greater campus communities,” said Ackerman. “We look forward to assisting the Vatican and other like-minded organizations in building on the themes discussed last week in Rome and at the prior U.S. SSH conferences, and to harnessing the power of sports to bring people together and build a more inclusive world.”
The BIG EAST Conference is an association of 11 nationally prominent colleges and universities that foster healthy athletic competition, community service and the pursuit of excellence in academic environments. The BIG EAST-sponsored athletic programs of our institutions provide national-caliber participation opportunities for more than 3,800 student-athletes on over 200 men’s and women’s teams in 22 sports. Established in 1979 and headquartered in New York City, the BIG EAST’s members are located in eight of the country’s top 36 largest media markets and include Butler University, University of Connecticut, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John’s University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University. For more information, visit www.bigeast.com.
Players Coalition is an independent 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organization, working with professional athletes, coaches and owners across leagues to improve social justice and racial equality in the U.S. Founded in 2017 by NFL players Anquan Boldin and Malcolm Jenkins, Players Coalition continues to grow exponentially with representation from more than 1,500 athlete advocates across 12 professional leagues.
Sport for Impact (SFI) is a foundation powered by a network of athletes collectively using sport as the catalyst for greater good to advance, accelerate and amplify athlete impact. The nonprofit was created with Walter Payton Man of the Year and NFL Legend Anquan Boldin to support athletes across their charitable impact work providing the infrastructure, network and 501(c)(3) status to operate their own foundations. SFI is a collaborative effort designed and led by players and experts together to advance the collective social impact of athlete-led, sports-driven philanthropy.
Sport at the Service of Humanity was launched by His Holiness Pope Francis during the 2016 Global Conference on Faith and Sport at the Vatican. Sport at the Service of Humanity is the only global faith and sport movement that combines the passion of sport with the values and power of faith to serve humanity. “Live Like We Play” embodies the movement’s ethos – rooted in Pope Francis’ inspirational words — “Challenge yourself in the game of life, as you do in the game of sport.” Sport for Humanity’s beliefs and aspirations are founded on three pillars — inspiration, inclusion and involvement — and six principles — compassion, love, respect, enlightenment, balance and joy.