The Sports Culture caucus of the Midwest Popular Culture Association/Midwest American Studies Association is proud to announce the call for papers for the 2023 MPCA/MACA conference at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, October 6-8. Papers pertaining (but not limited to) to current and historic sports media texts, players, teams, broadcasting personalities and their representation in popular culture are encouraged.

Please submit a 250-word abstract at  https://www.mpcaaca.org/submit-panels . The deadline for submission is April 30, 2023.

Please include name, affiliation, and email for each author/participant. A preliminary schedule will be posted in August 2023. Individuals may only submit one paper. Do not submit to more than one area.

For more information, contact Dr. Sean X. Ahern at seahern1@wsc.edu

Special Notes Regarding Proposal Submissions: (1) AV equipment will be provided. The Association does not provide laptops, cords, or speakers. (2) If necessary, indicate and submit potential scheduling conflicts along with your proposal. (3) If you wish your presentation to be listed as MACA (rather than MPCA), please include this request with your proposal.

Please plan to attend the entire conference. Panels will run at the following approximate times: Friday 9:00 am-6:00 pm, Saturday 9:00 am -5:30 pm, and Sunday 9:00 am-2:00 pm. Special events may include game night on Thursday evening, featured speakers and awards ceremony on Friday evening, and a keynote speaker on Saturday evening. These events will be free for conference registrants. Area Chairs are strongly encouraged to attend the Annual Meeting.

MEMBERSHIP DUES & REGISTRATION FEES: Membership renewal forms for the 2023 calendar year and 2023 conference registration forms will be available on the website in the coming weeks. All participants must register for the conference. Registration is $100 for undergraduate students with ID, $150 for reduced rate members (graduate students with ID, retirees, and unemployed), and $180 for regular members. There will be a $15 late fee for registration on-site or postmarked after September 15, 2023. (This fee is waived for residents of countries other than the USA or Canada.) Payment on-site will be by cash, check, or via credit card on Square. To preregister, send a check anytime to Paul Booth, Communication, DePaul University, 1 E. Jackson, Chicago, IL 60604. Make check payable to Midwest Popular Culture Association. A registration-membership form may be printed from our website at <http://www.mpcaaca.org>.

Day passes will be available for guests of the conference who are not presenting a paper.

Attendees are financially responsible for all costs related to their participation in the conference, e.g., transportation, lodging, meals, registration, membership, etc. Graduate students are invited to apply

for competitively awarded travel grants from MPCA/MACA. Details on these grants are available here.

Cancellation Policy: If you submit a proposal (or if you accept an invitation to appear on a panel), you are promising to attend the conference if your proposal is accepted, and you are promising to pay the conference registration fee, the Association membership fee, and a late fee of $15 if applicable. If your proposal is accepted and you do not attend the conference, it is expected that you will (1) notify all members of your panel, your Area Chair, and the MPCA/MACA President (Julia Largent Kuttler) of your cancellation; (2) provide such notification as early as possible; (3) arrange to have your paper distributed at the panel; (4) arrange for somebody else to carry out any other duties you may have; and (5) pay your membership and registration fees (plus late fee if applicable). If conditions 1-5 are met, you may file a written request, after the conference, for a refund of half your registration fee. For co-authored papers, all authors are welcome and encouraged to attend, but only one author is required to attend.

COVID-19: The Midwest Popular Culture Association continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely. At this point, we intend for the conference to go ahead as planned in-person in October of 2023. Please note that the deadline for registration is September 15, 2023. In the event that the conference is moved into a virtual setting, postponed, or canceled, we will notify you and provide you with information as to how the organization will respond as soon as possible. Please check the MPCA website or follow MPCA on Twitter or Facebook for the latest information.