297: Stephen Elmore On The Growth of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Sports

Joe and Tom are joined by Stephen Elmore, Assistant Vice President of Global Sports & Entertainment at Morgan Stanley. Stephen Elmore discusses his upbringing in a sports-centered environment in New York, his leadership in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion division (DEI) at DKC public relations, and how he forged professional experiences through managing business operations and communications. Then, he brings the conversation to his responsibilities in Global Sport & Entertainment at Morgan Stanley and how corporations increased their focus on DEI since 2020, shifting the narrative to recognize more diverse talents in the sports industry. Stephen also emphasizes the role of PR in the new sports business space, where having a voice in sports can be a force for good through empowerment. He continues to talk about student-athletes making monetary gains from sponsorships,  financial education in Name Image and Likeness (NIL), athletes benefiting from venture capitalism and post-career equity investments, as well as how the increasing participation in Women’s sports promotes greater opportunities and “levels the playing field”, financially. Moving forward, Stephen gives career advice to the younger generation who aspire to participate in the business industry. The CUSP Show is a production by the faculty of Sports Management at Columbia University. You can get in touch with the program on Twitter @CU_SPS_Sports. The CUSP Show is hosted by Joe Favorito (@Joefav) and Tom Richardson (@ConvergenceTR). The show is produced by Matt Hornick ‘23 (@MNHornick), and Cindy Li ‘23 (@cindyliiiii), with Jillian Quinn ‘22 (@JillianMQuinn) and Marco Vonderheide ‘23 managing social media efforts.