WHAT IS the CSDC and WHY DOES IT MATTER?

BY CONNIE WARDMAN, M.A., SDLT • SHE | HER

COMPETE SPORTS DIVERSITY’S BEGINNING VISION

Eric and I have been working on Compete since 2006, with the first issue of our magazine going public in February 2007. It launched under the name Sports Out Loud with the tag line, “The Best Gay Sports Magazine in the World” (of course we were the only gay sports magazine at the time). As early leaders in the sports diversity movement, we paid attention, watching as things in the gay sports community started to change. As the first couple of queer recreational, college and even a few professional athletes started to come out, the support they received was tentative, at best. Many organizations, businesses, professional teams, colleges and universities as well as municipalities were hesitant to offer any support. What was needed was for the personal stories of these athletes to be shared and, as an Irish storyteller, I’ve always been happy doing that. As a result, we became Compete Magazine. This time we decided our tagline would become more than just a marketing slogan; it would become our Vision Statement, the one that continues to lead us today – “Compete Sports Diversity Unites the World Through Sports.”

CSDC IS ON A MISSION TO CONNECT, EDUCATE, EMPOWER AND INSPIRE

In order unite the world, Eric and I knew we were on a true mission! We had to share our vision and invite like-minded others to join us in the process — we had to create a meaningful Mission Statement that others could believe in. It needed to be interactive: we would connect people and offer to help them as they were helping others. While Eric’s title is CEO, it really should be Chief Connector. Have you ever met him? It just comes naturally to him … and best of all, it’s truly genuine.

Our mission statement is something we take very seriously! By connecting, educating, empowering and inspiring mission-driven LGBTQ+ and allied sports and community leaders, sports organizations, nonprofit groups, tourism partners, corporate partners and athletes to further sports diversity together through our membership, media and event platforms, we present a united front to a chaotic world that needs access to honest sports diversity information on which to base sane, wellbalanced decisions.

Sports Diversity Leader Designation Program For CSDC Members, CSDC Certified Partners & SDL Individual Designees

For any movement to fully succeed, representation is needed at many levels and in multiple ways. To that end we developed the Sports Diversity Leader (SDL) designation program to recognize our members as true professional sports diversity leaders who have joined us, taken the training and are now entitled to add SDL after their name. The T on the SDLT designation indicates a focus on the Travel & Tourism Industry.

IDEAL Principles

While we all may profess a deep belief in Inclusion, Diversity, Equality/Equity, Acceptance and Leadership as described in our IDEAL Principles, each new Compete Sports Diversity Council member is asked to sign it. Without our shared willingness to take action, to make the CSDC’s goal of Uniting the World Through Sports a reality for ALL, including those underserved, underrepresented communities, what we’re really supporting is the status quo. We must actively work together toward making sports diversity a reality in a way that brings diverse communities together, engendering harmony and good will rather than more anger and frustration.

Ongoing Education In A Variety of Formats

To stay relevant in our quickly changing world, our education program strives to offer important and comprehensive education experiences through attendance at regular conferences, in-person training, mentoring, webinars or elective online classes to ensure you keep current on quickly changing topics.

With two in-person member meetings a year and member Zoom meetings every quarter, there are six yearly opportunities to interact with other CSDC members and keep up to date by sharing ideas, projects, committee assignments and just catch up with the friends you’ve made. But we also answer phone calls and emails, to the surprise of some!

Part of the success for a movement like the Compete Sports Diversity Council is to have clear, concise messaging used by all of its members all of the time. For example, you can Google leadership and come up with multiple descriptions. But we want to have just one description, and that’s for a SPORTS DIVERSITY LEADER! And based on our values of ESP — Excellence, Service and Passion — one of our decisions for 2023 has been to reconstitute Compete Magazine as a membership magazine. There’s an important reason for that decision!

As the CSDC continues to grow, Compete Magazine becomes the perfect “connective tissue” needed to keep each of you abreast of new developments, stories, ideas, programs, etc. and for us to feel the pulse of your thoughts, concerns and community needs. It now becomes our way of staying in touch with you in print, four times a year and more.

Empower and Inspire

At Compete, we recognize the power and positive influence each one of you has in your own area of representation.

As the CSDC continues to work together, with the individual power and positive influence each member brings now added to the mix, the organization empowers and inspires others to participate.

So we ask the question: Does the Compete Sports Diversity Council Matter? From our perspective the answer is a resounding YES!

We stand strong as service leaders for our LGBTQ+ sports organizations, BIPOC associations, womenfocused sports groups, allied organizations, and underserved/smaller sports teams as well as those sponsors, donors, DMO/city partners, and others who join us as we pave the way for a safer and more inclusive environment to play.

Whether you come from an LGBTQ+ or allied sports background, a community leader, a sports organization, a non-profit group, a tourism partner, a corporate partner, or an individual athlete, when you can multiply the power of your positive influence to make sports diversity happen on a larger scale, you’re actually making the world a better place for everyone. That is the world we are striving to create. •