Society for American Baseball Research moves to ASU

The Society for American Baseball Research, a nonprofit organization dedicated to baseball scholarship, is relocating its headquarters to Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) has established itself as a vibrant baseball community and a premier distributor of ground-breaking baseball information through annual publications and events such as the SABR Analytics Conference and SABR National Convention. It includes more than 6,000 worldwide members devoted to studying the history, statistics, and every other aspect of the game.

“We are very excited to have our new office at the Walter Cronkite School in Phoenix,” said Marc Appleman, executive director of the society. “We believe this move will lead to future collaborations with one of the top journalism and communication programs in the country and will help us reach the next generation of SABR members. It will also allow us to expand what is already a strong internship relationship with ASU.”

The move from Phoenix’s Arcadia neighborhood allows the society to take advantage of the Cronkite School’s state-of-the-art $71 million facility and partner with faculty and students across the university to undertake research and other collaborative projects.

The organization comes to ASU as the university expands its sports-related programs and experiences for students. In the past year, the Cronkite School has launched graduate and undergraduate degrees in sports journalism and has opened sports reporting bureaus in Phoenix and Los Angeles. Students regularly report on Cactus League spring training, producing coverage for MLB.com and regional media outlets.

At the W. P. Carey School of Business, ASU students can pursue a bachelor’s degree in sports and media studies that covers a range of trends at the intersection of sports, media and business. The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law offers degrees with an emphasis in sports law and business that focuses on legal issues in sports.

“It’s a great honor to welcome one of the preeminent organizations in sports to Arizona State University,” said Christopher Callahan, Cronkite School dean and university vice provost. “The addition of SABR with our growing sports journalism opportunities makes the Cronkite School one of the leading centers for sports journalism education.”