Mission / History

Our Mission

The National Sports Media Association & Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which seeks to develop educational opportunities for those who are interested in pursuing a career in sports media, through networking, interning, mentoring and scholarship programs.

The NSMA also honors, preserves and celebrates the diverse legacy of sports media in the United States.

Our History

Salisbury, NC restaurant owner and boxing promoter Pete DiMizio started the organization as a way to honor sportscasters and sportswriters. The first North Carolina Sports Writers and Broadcasters banquet was at DiMizio’s Restaurant in 1953.

DiMizio died in 1958, but a small group of Salisbury residents created the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association in 1959, with the first national awards banquet on April 12, 1960. The NSSA, as it was known then, added a Hall of Fame in 1962, with Grantland Rice as its first inductee.

In 2016, NSSA changed its name to the National Sports Media Association, Inc. (NSMA).

And the next year, the NSMA moved its headquarters to Winston-Salem, NC.

At a Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership breakfast in February 2017, numbers were revealed that showed that growth. According to a Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning and Development Services study, almost $1.5 billion had been invested in downtown Winston-Salem from 2000-2016.

That kind of spending, when combined with the sports interests in Winston-Salem, make this an ideal partnership for the NSMA. We benefit from a vibrant and growing downtown, five colleges and universities, professional baseball, professional hockey and professional tennis. Winston-Salem is also home to one of Learfield IMG College's headquarters (one of the largest college athletics multimedia rights holders in the country), and it is the future home of the National Cycling Center.

And while Winston-Salem is growing steadily, it is not outgrowing its infrastructure. With a population approaching 250,000, it has a big-city vibe, with a small-town feel.

The perfect fit for the National Sports Media Association and our Hall of Fame, which have small-town roots and big-time ambitions.