UMass Amherst Offers Online Webinar and Q&A on ‘AI Analysis of Racism in Sports Journalism & College Coaching’

*** MEDIA ADVISORY *** 

UMass Amherst Offers Online Webinar and Q&A on ‘AI Analysis of Racism in Sports Journalism & College Coaching’ 

WHO:        Assistant professor Mohit Iyyer, UMass Amherst College of Computer and Information Sciences (CICS)

WHAT:      Online Webinarand Q&A, an analysis of racism in journalism and coaching 

WHEN:      4–5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020 

WHERE:    Space is limited. Registration is required.

Iyyer will offer a one-hour zoom Q&A webinar at 4 p.m. on Wed., Sept. 30 where he will explore whether artificial intelligence (AI) can offer insights into the prevalence of racial bias in the sports world. He uses artificial intelligence– in particular, natural language processing and machine learning – to analyze evidence of racial bias in sports broadcasting and coaching.

The event is free and open to the public; registration is required, https://www.cics.umass.edu/event/ai-analysis-racism-sports-journalism-college-coaching-q-mohit-iyyer

Iyyer will share his computational analysis of over 60 years of sports broadcasts, as well as evidence of racism and unconscious bias in game commentary and the discussion of athletes. He also will share information about a new study of racism in college football coaching and the AI tools he uses in his research. A Q & A will follow his remarks. 

The UMass Amherst AI researcher quotes Nelson Mandela, “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where there was only despair.”

Iyyer observes that as the nation engages in a painful examination of institutional racism, longstanding bias in the sports world is in the public eye. Professional athletes are taking collective action to halt playoff games and bring attention to Black Lives Matter. College athletes are joining forces to call out racism and financial exploitation in college sports, and, curtailed or canceled sports seasons are contributing to a highly charged environment.

His talk is part of the Computing and Social Justice Series that brings CICS researchers and the public together to critically assess how computing innovation intersects with vitally important issues like structural bias, civic participation, economic inequality, and citizen privacy.