The NABJ Sports Task Force welcomes members and friends to attend an exciting line-up of professional development programs targeted to sports journalism at the 31st NABJ Convention and Career Fair.

The Sports Task Force events will begin on Thursday, August 17 with the Mentor Breakfast and conclude on Saturday, August 19 with 3-on-3 basketball and golf tournaments.

We believe this year will be our strongest professional development programming yet, said Sports Task Force Chairman Gregory Lee. These sessions will directly impact how sports journalists go about their daily jobs.

The Mentor Breakfast, which begins at 7:30 a.m., will mark the reinstallation of the task forces mentorship program. Mike Wilbon, Washington Post columnist and Pardon The Interruption host, will be the guest speaker.

On Thursday afternoon, the Sports Task Force workshops commence with the session, Closing the Head-Coaching Gap in College Football and Womens Basketball. An expert panel of college athletic executives will discuss innovative approaches to increasing the number of black head coaches in collegiate sports.

In the Friday workshop, What Happened to the Love Affair with Baseball, participants will examine why the American past time has all but disappeared from the black community.

On Saturday, the Sports Task Force will host two sessions starting with, How to Get Plugged In, which will explore how the fast paced world of blogging, vlogs and online talk radio is leading sports journalism in a new direction. The second session will examine the relationships and boundaries between black athletes and black journalists. Former NBA point guard Rod Strickland will participate.

In addition to the plenary sessions, the Sports Task Force will also host other convention activities, including the annual Sports Pioneer Awards sponsored by the NBA. Honorees are a number of sports figures, including Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy.

For those interested in outdoor activity, on Saturday the task force will host two events: the Scholarship 3-on-3 Hoops Tournament and Golf Tournament. You can register for both events online at http://www.stf-nabj.org.Registration will also be available on-site at the Sports Task Force booth.

As diversity in our nation's sports departments has been under attack in recent months, the task force will address these issues and more at its annual business meeting which will take place on Saturday, August 19 from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Over 3,000 journalists from across the country are expected to attend the 31st Annual Convention, August 16-20 at the Indiana Convention Center. The convention will also feature the nation's largest journalism career fair along with specialized workshops, plenary sessions, professional development breakfasts targeted to various journalism disciplines, a Hall of Fame banquet, gospel brunch and media receptions for veteran, up-and-coming and future journalists.

For more information about the convention please visit www.nabj.org or call the NABJ national office at (301) 445-7100.