This conversation brings together scholars and practitioners whose interdisciplinary work spans communication, ethnic studies, gender studies, and athletics. Panelists will examine how Black women and non-binary athletes navigate the global sports-media complex; explore the relationship between music, sound, and sport; and reflect on the lived experiences of players and coaches. Together, they will offer compelling insights on the connections between sport, media, and identity. 

Panelists:

• Courtney M. Cox is an Associate Professor in the Department of Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies at the University of Oregon. Her research examines issues related to identity, technology, and labor through sport and wine. Her book, Double Crossover: Gender, Media, and Politics in Global Basketball considers how Black women and non-binary athletes maneuver through the global sports-media complex. She is also co-director (with Dr. Perry B. Johnson) of The Sound of Victory, a multi-platform project located at the intersection of music, sound, and sport. She previously worked for ESPN, Longhorn Network, NPR-affiliate KPCC, and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.
• Perry B. Johnson, Ph.D., is a music scholar, cultural historian, and producer. She is co-director of The Sound of Victory (with Courtney M. Cox), an initiative dedicated to exploring the relationship between music/sound and sport. Johnson is co-editor of The Sound of Victory: Music, Sport, and Society (NYU Press, Sept. 2026) and writing a co-authored book detailing a history of the Super Bowl halftime show. Johnson is associate producer/co-host of PBS’s award-winning series Outside the Lyrics, co-host/producer of the Sounding Off podcast, and producer of Arts Talk, USC Arts Now’s official podcast. Johnson teaches in USC’s Annenberg School of Communication.
• Julie Rousseau (aka Dr. J) is the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student Athlete Development and an Adjunct Professor, teaching identity development, in the Gender and Sexuality Studies Department at the University of Southern California. She has always had an insatiable love for sport, which has been prominent in her life and nurtured since childhood by her family. Over 20 years as a head basketball coach of both female and male athletes, and head coaching experiences at every level of play (WNBA, College Division I, and High School), she continues to pursue her love of sport by working to create an environment within Trojan Athletics where all members (i.e., student athletes, coaches, and staff) thrive while at USC and beyond. As a lifelong learner, she returned to school to pursue her PhD in Human Systems Engineering at Arizona State University, which she earned in May 2019, focused on The Influence of Gender, Race, and Intersectionality of Stress in Division Head Basketball Coaches. Dr. J acknowledges that none of her success and accomplishments, both past or present, would have been realized without her faith, support of parents, siblings and friends.
• Miki Turner (moderator) is currently a professor of professional practice at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. An award-winning photojournalist and producer, Turner spent more than 40 years working in the sports and entertainment media industries and is considered one of the pioneers in increasing media coverage for women athletes. A former student-athlete, Turner is the author of two books—the best-selling journey to the woman i’ve come to love and tomorrow.

This panel is part of the 2026 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC.