Manhattanville to Host Second Series Speaker in Sport Studies Program

PURCHASE, NY – January 16, 2025 – Manhattanville University’s Sport Studies Program is pleased to announce Brenda Elsey, Ph.D. will be its next Speaker in Residence. A marquee event during her time at the university will be a talk called "Losing to Win: Politics and Fútbol in the Americas." The event will take place on Tuesday, February 25 at 6 PM in Reid Castle, East Library, at Manhattanville University, 2900 Purchase Street in Purchase, NY and is free and open to the public.

Amy Bass, Ph.D., Professor of Sport Studies and Chair of the Division of Social Science and Communication at Manhattanville University, expressed her excitement to be hosting Dr. Elsey. “I’m thrilled to have Dr. Elsey join us as our second Speaker in Residence. Her body of work speaks for itself, and I have no doubt our campus community will benefit enormously from her breadth of knowledge on soccer -- the beautiful game – past, present, and future,” said Dr. Bass.

Dr. Elsey’s residency follows in the footsteps of a very successful inaugural residency with Adrian Burgos, Jr., Ph.D., who spent a week at Manhattanville in October. The speaker-in-residence series, featuring renowned scholars in sport and Latinx studies, is part of a three-year project called “Sport Studies in the 21st Century: Amplifying the Latinx Experience in Curricula, Conversation, and Community” and is funded in part by a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant for Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Manhattanville University earned a designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education, which recognizes the campus’ significant Hispanic population.

Dr. Brenda Elsey is Professor of History at Hofstra University and is widely recognized as an authority on soccer in Latin America. She is author of several titles, including her most recent book (co-written with Joshua Nadel) "Futbolera: A History of Women and Sports in Latin America.” Dr. Elsey has served as a senior editor for Oxford University Press’ Research Essays in Latin American History, and has written for The Guardian, The New York Times, The New Republic, and Sports Illustrated, as well as co-hosted the feminist sports podcast Burn It All Down. In 2018, she was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholar award in Argentina. She currently serves as Development Lead in the Americas for the Fare Network, which works on anti-discrimination in global football, monitors international matches for sexism, racism, and homophobia, and develops grass-roots projects.

At Hofstra, Elsey won the 2012 Stessin Prize for best faculty publication and in 2018 she was awarded Teacher of the Year in the Humanities and Social Sciences. She has been the co-director of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies program at Hofstra since 2008 and directed the Women’s Studies program from 2009 to 2013.

For more information on the event, contact Dr. Amy Bass at amy.bass@mville.edu.

“Sport Studies in the 21st Century: Amplifying the Latinx Experience in Curricula, Conversation, and Community” has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

About Manhattanville University: Manhattanville University is a private liberal arts institution dedicated to academic excellence, purposeful education, and social justice. “U.S. News and World Report” ranks Manhattanville among the Top Performers of Social Mobility in Regional Universities North. Located 30 miles from New York City on a 100-acre suburban campus in the heart of Westchester County, Manhattanville enables easy access to entertainment offerings, educational resources, and business opportunities for its primarily residential and diverse student body. The university serves more than 1,300 undergraduate students and nearly 1,000 graduate students from more than 44 countries and 33 states. Founded in 1841, the university offers more than 75 undergraduate and graduate areas of study in the arts and sciences, education, nursing and health sciences, business, and creative writing, as well as continuing and executive education programs. Graduate students can choose from over 70 graduate and certificate programs. Extracurricular offerings include more than 45 clubs and activities and 23 NCAA Division III teams.

Manhattanville has also been recognized by “U.S. News and World Report” for Ethnic Diversity. The university has earned a designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education, which has allowed it to recruit more Latinx students. For the sixth consecutive year, Manhattanville has been named to the Colleges of Distinction list, which recognizes institutions that excel in student engagement, great teaching, vibrant communities, and successful outcomes. The university is also among those that have earned the Equity and Inclusion badge from Colleges of Distinction, while continuing to be recognized for excellence with Business, Education, and Career Development badges.