The first session of Where We’re Going: Sports began with moderator Chris Stevens addressing the questions surrounding the changes to sports caused by the coronavirus pandemic. After introducing each speaker, Stevens asked each of them to share his or her insight on what direction the industry might be headed should the unprecedented times remain present.
First, Cara Ocobock began by highlighting the importance of sports to individuals in society – namely, that athletics serve not only as a method of maintaining our physical well-being, but also as a form of social networking. She commended the creative ways in which communities have striven to sustain this valuable aspect of culture in the current situation. Following her, Angie Torain similarly emphasized the balance between being safe and also recognizing the role of sports in what we have always considered normal. In addition to being flexible, she encouraged efforts to include sports in the temporary “new normal” being established everywhere. The last panelist to be introduced, Philip Bess, agreed that participation in outdoor sports for all age groups should continue, if not increase. Additionally, he noted that the future of professional sports seemed more uncertain, predicting either a growing gap between fans who can and cannot afford to attend sports events or a decrease in the superiority of professional athletes.
In light of this shifting balance of equality and exclusivity in the sports industry, the panelists went on to discuss the past year’s role in making Americans hungry for social justice. As someone who works directly with the student athletes, Torain was able to share the many ways in which participation in such topics has improved to mean individuals are actively advocating for inclusion. Ocobock suggested extending this perspective from athletes to the entire industry, noting that her own field of exercise science would greatly benefit from an increase in work done by and for women. Both panelists recognized that there was work to be done in light of an overall absence of impact.
The next topic Stevens brought up revolved around questions about corporate involvement within communities in which there is a professional sports stadium. Bess discussed a dispute over land known as the Battle of the Chavez Ravine, which ended with the government acquisition of Mexican-American land that would later become Dodger Stadium. In response, Bess concluded that “there really should not be any taking of private property for publicly funded sports enterprises” (27:27). On a similar note, Bess mentioned that although in-stadium advertising is necessary, the commercialization of stadiums due to jumbotrons is the most objectionable development, largely due to how these giant televisions detract attention from the games themselves.
Soon after, Stevens asked Ocobock to briefly discuss the presence of performance enhancing drugs within the sports industry and where she saw their use going in the future. Ocobock admitted that she doubted the habit of doping would go away soon; she noted that the problem to be solved is not the existence of these drugs as much as it is the extent of their influence. She expressed that there seems to be a “massive arms race to find new drugs that won’t be detected… and the science trying to catch those is always behind and running to catch up” (33:15). Ocobock suggested that the next step to be taken for this issue is to tighten the drug testing regulations for all parts of the sports world.
The panelists briefly discussed ways in which they hoped the current climate might impact the future opportunities for those on campus and beyond. Ocobock championed the idea of creating an academic sports program at the University in order to promote interdisciplinary studies and integrative approaches to learning. Torain was excited about that idea, and added that she was impressed by the social change efforts on campus; she saw the benefits of how Covid-19 pushed everyone out of his or her comfort zone and made each one of us more creative. Bess was especially hopeful that the pandemic could initiate a more communal way of life in the future since it has for over a year required us “to live at a smaller scale – at a more local, participatory kind of scale” (41:06). While all of the panelists had their own concerns regarding the future of the sports industry after such unprecedented times, the hopes that have grown over a year of improvisation outweighed their worries.
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