06. Should Sport Contribute to Society?
Episode description
Sport reflects life – all of it's beauty, and all of its ugliness too. But is it a two-way street? What role does sport play in shaping society? Sporting organisations and athletes are in a powerful position to effect change across all manner of fundamental issues, so how can they do that and how much responsibility lies on their shoulders?
To break things down, host Professor Sam Robertson is joined first by Professor Corinne Reid, Interim Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research at Victoria University. Having previously worked with numerous Olympic teams and athletes, Corinne is now the executive sponsor of the university's Sport Strategy and its Planetary Health Initiative, both committed to addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Next up, Sam speaks with Professor Kate Henne, Director of the School of Regulation and Global Governance, Professor at the Australian National University, leader of the Justice and Technoscience Lab, and Honorary Professor at Arizona State University. Her studies focus on how science and technology contribute to the governance of persons and populations, spanning biometric surveillance, human enhancement and well-being, sports governance, and technologies of policing.
Together, Sam, Corinne and Kate discuss how sport and sportspeople can drive social change, the barriers in doing so, and the level of responsibility we should take on.
What do you think? Tell us on our socials:
Subscribe to the Track newsletter for a regular dose of sport's science insights from our team of leading researchers and further reading for every episode topic. Learn more and see full episode transcript at trackvu.com/podcast