FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, April 21, 2022
GLENDALE, ARIZONA -- The Arizona Coyotes and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ) announced today that they are partnering with Position Sports to support the DREAM Mentorship program, which creates access to the sports industry for students from historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) business and sports business programs.
Coyotes & Blue Cross Blue Shield Partner in Position Sports Dream Program
"We are thrilled to partner with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and Position Sports to offer these talented students with an incredible opportunity to engage with top professionals in the sports industry," said Coyotes President & CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez. "Diversity, equity, and inclusion are the core pillars of our organization, and we believe very strongly in our responsibility to open doors for others to help everyone achieve the American dream. We have seen how mentorship and allyship can directly impact the lives of students, leading to new educational and employment opportunities and we are proud to support this program that seeks to bring diverse talent into the sports industry at all levels."
Students complete a 10-week virtual program and learn real-world skills including networking, resume building, interacting with sports business professionals and delivering a sponsor-based interactive group project. The 10-week curriculum allows for continuous content to share, culminating in a hands-on project implementation experience allowing for storytelling.
"BCBSAZ is proud to support the Dream Project alongside the Arizona Coyotes and Position Sports to bring awareness to the importance of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)," said co-chairs of the BCBSAZ DE&I Leadership Council, Kathryn Mattson and Kevin Scott. "By offering opportunities for HBCU students to engage with professional sports, we believe these students can envision a future where working in professional sports is possible."
"We are thankful to have the Arizona Coyotes as amazing partners who believe in our program and support efforts to impact the business of sports by providing our diverse group of students access to sport professionals," said Mark Clifford of Position Sports. "During a very busy season, the Coyotes dedicated time and resources with key staff members to support our program. These relationships are essential to the success of our program and grateful for the opportunity to continue working with this organization which is dedicated on taking action to impact change. Additionally, we're overjoyed to have one of the Coyotes' strategic partners in Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona invest in our initiative to impact the sports business landscape and help further our mission of providing access to students who are underrepresented in this space."
26 students representing 16 different HBCUs are currently participating in the program. Several students are expected to attend the Coyotes vs. Nashville game on April 29 when they will network with members of the Coyotes organization as well as other local sports professionals.
ABOUT BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF ARIZONA
Blue Cross ® Blue Shield ® of Arizona (BCBSAZ) is committed to helping Arizonans get healthier faster and stay healthier longer. With a mission to inspire health and make it easy, BCBSAZ offers health insurance and related services to more than 1.9 million customers. BCBSAZ, a non-profit company, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. The company and its subsidiaries employ more than 2,500 people in its Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Tucson offices. To learn more, visit azblue.com or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.
ABOUT POSITION SPORTS
In 2020, the Position Sports DREAM Initiative was established to recognize and celebrate the unique opportunities that our industry provides in uniting groups for a common goal. We strive to create an inclusive and diverse work environment in which staff members will feel safe, respected, and valued regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, ability, or age. As part of this initiative, our team established the DREAM Program as a way to support underserved college students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Sports Business industry. We recognized that these students did not have the same career opportunities, either due to location (only 28% of HBCUs are in a city with a professional sports team) or resources. Our staff has developed a program that brings the real-world classroom to them while providing actual event externships to gain experience and develop a network of connections.
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