2025 BEA Lifetime Achievement in Scholarship Presented to Andrew C. Billings, Ph.D.
Washington, D.C. – Andrew C. Billings, Ph.D., University of Alabama, has been awarded the 2025 Broadcast Education Association (BEA) Lifetime Achievement in Scholarship (LAS).
Andrew C. Billings (Ph.D., Indiana University, 1999) serves as the Ronald Reagan Chair of Broadcasting, co-director of the Beyond Sports Initiative, and Associate Dean for Faculty in the College of Communication & Information Sciences at the University of Alabama. Having authored 27 books and over 260 journal articles and book chapters, he is the most published sports media scholar in the world. His work has been cited over 11,000 times, largely focusing on issues triangulating sport, media, and issues of identity. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the prominent academic journal Communication & Sport and has been interviewed over 700 times by news outlets including The New York Times, Associated Press and ESPN.
Billings has studied sports media phenomena in over 20 nations, earning over 60 awards from the Broadcast Education Association, International Communication Association, National Communication Association, and Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication. He is a former Visiting Chair of Olympism at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and is a past Research Symposium Chair for the Broadcast Education Association.
BEA’s Lifetime Achievement in Scholarship recognizes significant contributions to research and scholarship involving broadcast and electronic media. Recipients are evidenced by related extensive publication in books and leading journals, for at least twenty years. The LAS will be awarded to Dr. Billings at BEA’s annual convention at the Las Vegas Convention Center during a ceremony and reception on the evening of Saturday, April 5. He will give a formal presentation on Saturday preceding the awards ceremony titled, “When Sports Media Research Went Mainstream: Reflections on a Career While Sports Programming Became Dominant”
About the BEA Convention – BEA’s annual convention is held in conjunction with NAB Show in Las Vegas every spring. Located at the Las Vegas Convention Center, BEA’s annual convention attracts 1,200 educators and students with 250 sessions, events, research panels, technology workshops and an exhibit hall, making BEA the largest conference partner of NAB Show.
About the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) – BEA is the premiere international academic media organization, driving insights, excellence in media production, and career advancement for educators, students, and professionals. There are currently more than 2,300 individual and institutional members worldwide. Visit www.beaweb.org for more information.