Sport plays a unique role in our society. We play it, we watch it, we read about it. It stirs our passion and inspires our dreams. The games we play define who we are, what we do, and how the world sees us. It has a special power to influence society, entertainment, media, geography, religion, politics, economy, etc. On a field of play, where everyone is equal, sport creates a common ground of understanding.
Sport is culture. It has a story to tell — from the earliest days of organized sport activities, to the bombardment of sport information on modern TV and in newspapers. With such a deep influence on our lives and a broad platform available for public consumption, sport has a unique power to impact humanity. Sport matters.
In a world of rapid globalization, cultures are colliding at an amazing pace. We are integrating, forced to adapt, and the need to be aware of those who are different from us has become critical. Sport lends itself to understanding people.
It is within this spirit that this project is born. Through the power of sport, we can learn more about each other, and help bridge the cultural divides. This project will serve to capture and tell this story…to explain indeed – “Why Sport Matters”.
“Politics divide, sport unites.” ~Nelson Mandela
Why Sport Matters is a project with the goal of understanding people through the theme of sport. It will try to answer and demonstrate cultural identities through the sporting activity of our daily lives. For example, the project may look at and try to explain:
- Why Kenya/Ethiopia dominate long-distance running
- How Israeli and Palestinian children come together each summer for soccer camp
- Why rugby has been labeled as a “southern” hemisphere game
- Why American football is the most popular sport in the United States, but has limited appeal internationally
- The impact of England’s colonial past (cricket in India, soccer in Argentina, rugby in Australia)
- How the sporting world recognized the independence of African countries before the political establishment
- Disciplines of martial arts represent differences within Asian culture
- How Brazil comes to a complete standstill when the national soccer team play
- What does sport say about these cultures? How does the rest of the world see these countries as a result? How do entities use/manipulate sport (and sporting heroes) in politics, media, advertising, religion?
Why Sport Matters will create various products to serve as vehicles to tell the story. It will first capture the content, and then develop the mechanisms to get the story out. Potential products include:
- Video web content
- Book or series of books
- Documentary/TV programming
- Magazine articles/contributions
- Educational materials
- Public Presentations/Speaking engagements
- Enhancement of sporting event broadcasts and sports reporting
- Collaboration with other organizations
In order to find and document the story, an around-the-world trip is being scheduled targeting specific places/countries which are good examples of cultural identification through sport.
The trip will last at least 1 year, beginning in October 2009. Although all of the continents will eventually be covered, the current travel schedule will include:
- Africa – Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Zambia
- South America – Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia
- Australia/Pacific – Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Fiji
- Asia – Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, India
- Middle East – UAE, Qatar
- Europe – Turkey, Greece
Interviews and research (including on-camera interviews) will be conducted with various types of people and organizations, for example:
- National Olympic Committees
- Ministers of Sport, Tourism, Culture
- Sport organizations (based on popular sports in that country)
- Historians, journalists, and experts
- Athletes (famous, youth)
- IOC Members
At each stop, speaking engagements will be arranged with organizations to further communicate the project and the educational process. Targeted audiences would include:
- universities with studies focused on sport/culture/humanities
- tourism boards
- sport event organizers, etc.
Previous speaking engagements include:
- University of Zambia – Symposium on Sport
- International Olympic Academy in Olympia, Greece
- George Washington University Sports Management Program (students on-site during the Athens, Torino, and Beijing Games)
- Glion Institute of Higher Management Sport Programme in Switzerland
- FIFA International Sports Master in Milan, Italy
