Don Sabo Speaks at LA84 Summit

DYC Professor to Speak at LA84 Foundation Summit

Buffalo, New York – October 25, 2012 – Dr. Donald F. Sabo, a professor in the D'Youville College Health Services Administration program and Director of the Center for Research on Physical Activity, Sports and Health, will speak at the inaugural LA84 Foundation Summit on November 8 in Los Angeles.

He will speak on Research and Education Policy Links to High School Sports and the Education Benefits of such a policy.

Sabo will join leading researchers, educators, journalists, philanthropists, athletes and sports administrators to examine the benefits of youth sports and their connection to academic achievement.

"Youth sports and high school athletics are among the best kept secrets in U.S. education," Sabo said. "Thinking about the economic downturn, no one is looking at high school athletics as a national asset to increase our competitiveness in the global economy."

Sabo is the author of several national reports on the social impact of sports and a recognized expert in the field.

The Foundation, named for the "Legacy of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games," studies and funds youth sports. "This Summit brings together experts to examine the available research and how to best use it to highlight the importance of sport in keeping kids connected to school and achieving better academic outcomes," said foundation president Anita L. DeFrantz.

The keynote speaker will be Pat Haden, University of Southern California Athletic Director and a Rhodes Scholar.

A key topic will the need to better align sports and academics and will tackle how to encourage and strengthen the relationship between sports and school in an era of shrinking school budgets that threaten athletics and physical education.

Contact: Dr. Donald F. Sabo, 716-829-8178 or sabod@dyc.edu