Associate Professor of advertising and public relations, Dr. Kenon Brown, was invited to speak at Bradley University’s Fourth Annual Charley Steiner Symposium on Sports Communication last week.
The annual symposium is the Charley Steiner School of Sports Communication’s pinnacle event, linking a small handful of professors with industry professionals, prominent athletes and other major players in the sports world.
Brown guest lectured for a class Wednesday afternoon and participated in a panel at the Symposium on Critical Issues in the Field of Sports Communication alongside Pro Football Hall of Fame President, David Baker and Eastern Michigan University’s Professor of Sport Management, Erica Zonder.
“To be invited to this symposium to speak on a panel and have my voice heard in this kind of critical sense is a tremendous honor,” said Brown. “It is honestly something I did not expect this early in my career, and it is definitely an accolade I will hang my hat on.”
Brown’s insight into the sports world is unique, as he is an authoritative voice from both an academic and industry perspective. His research interests include image and reputation management, particularly in sports, and minority recruitment in mass communication. Beyond his research, his work in the sport and entertainment industry includes partnerships with organizations such as the International Olympic Committee, FOX Sports, Twitch, NASCAR and the Country Music Association.
“The fact that Kenon Brown was invited to attend is just another of many examples that his work has reached the highest echelon of academic achievement in sports media scholarship,” said Dr. Andrew Billings. “It’s a very deserved honor and I’d expect many more like them in the coming years for Kenon. He’s a powerful, informed voice in the discipline.”
The Charley Steiner School of Sports Communication at Bradley University is the first named sports communication school in the nation. The school is named in honor of world-class broadcaster Charley Steiner, a four-time Emmy Award winner and National Radio Hall of Fame inductee in his 11th season as a play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Steiner spent 14 years anchoring SportsCenter at ESPN while broadcasting baseball, football and boxing. As the first named school of sports communication, it is uniquely positioned for national distinction as it continues to build upon the successes of Bradley University’s premier program.
