S3 EP1 The Cost of Sports Mega-Events

Jules Boykoff (Pacific University) and Cerianne Robertson (Fordham University) join us to discuss the cost of mega-sporting events to communities, athletes, and fans. This episode illustrates the relationship between wealth and sports. We begin by discussing the many costs of hosting mega-sporting events like the Olympics or World Cup that communities must bear beyond just the financial, such as attacks up on poor and unhoused communities, increased surveillance of citizens and militarized police, and loss of citizen control over their communities. We discuss the complexities and contradictions of stadium building specifically before shifting to the costs that athletes and their families must bear. We then discuss how the skyrocketing costs of attending these events far exceeds the rise of inflation. Finally, we conclude by discussing what citizens who want to protect their communities and democracy from corporate greed can do to stop these takeovers. Join the conversation of the Sports in Society discord server: https://discord.gg/QDzzETYThv