SPORTS

Could Formula One And Other Big Events Be The Answer To Driving Growth And Tourism In The Hospitality Industry
SPORTS, TOP FOUR

Could Formula One And Other Big Events Be The Answer To Driving Growth And Tourism In The Hospitality Industry

Revving up tourism: Formula One and other big events look set to drive growth in the hospitality industry. In late 2023, I embarked on my first Formula One race experience, attending the first-ever Las Vegas Grand Prix. I had never been to an F1 race; my interest was sparked during the pandemic, largely through the Netflix series “Formula 1: Drive to Survive.” But I wasn’t just attending as a fan. As the inaugural chair of the University of Florida’s department of tourism, hospitality and event management, I saw this as an opportunity. Big events and festivals represent a growing share of the tourism market – as an educator, I want to prepare future leaders to manage them. And what better place to learn how to do that than in the stands of the Las Vegas Grand Prix? The author at the La...
For US Negotiators Brittney Griner’s Case Was Difficult For One Key Reason: She Was Guilty
CELEBRITY NEWS, LGBTQ, SPORTS, TOP FOUR

For US Negotiators Brittney Griner’s Case Was Difficult For One Key Reason: She Was Guilty

The release from Russian prison of WNBA star Britney Griner has been greeted with general delight in the United States. Announcing the deal that saw her freed on Dec. 8, 2022, President Joe Biden lauded the “painstaking and intense negotiations” that made it happen. Others may have legitimate concerns over the equivalence of the exchange, which saw convicted arms merchant Viktor Bout returned to Russia. As a longtime scholar of Russian law, I believe the episode prompts a reflection on the application of Russian law in Griner’s case, and more broadly consideration about such exchanges in general. The problem American negotiators face in such situations is that it matters whether the U.S. citizen is guilty of committing the crime alleged under foreign law or whether there has been a misc...
I Dated A Dallas Cowboy!
SPORTS, TOP FOUR

I Dated A Dallas Cowboy!

And it almost brought the country club down. We should not have stopped there. It was Las Colinas in Irving, Texas, and I think my Dad paid hell afterwards. He never said a word. He was cool like that. But, later, I realized that in all the years I had been going there to swim or play tennis, I had never seen a black member. Jimmy Dean (sausage company) came up to me and whispered, "watch yourself girl," and I knew what he meant. Then, he shook my date's hand and gushed compliments, questions and information on him to the point that we both looked quizzically at each other. You see, my date was black and I was white, white, white. It wasn't until he was identified as one of the Doomsday Defense that the mind-numbing stares stopped. Women just pelted me with hateful looks until they re...
What LaMelo Ball Got Right – And Wrong About Why Star Athletes Who Want To Play For The NBA Don’t Really Need College
SPORTS

What LaMelo Ball Got Right – And Wrong About Why Star Athletes Who Want To Play For The NBA Don’t Really Need College

SPORTS John Holden, Oklahoma State University In a recent interview published in GQ, NBA star LaMelo Ball downplayed the importance of college for athletes who aspire to play professional basketball. When asked about his decision to forgo college and play professional basketball overseas before entering the NBA draft, Ball said: “You wanna go to the league, so school’s not your priority.” The then-19-year-old Ball, now 20, quickly clarified his quotes in GQ via Instagram, stating that he was only referencing his own situation and that while school is “not for everybody,” it is for many people. LaMelo Ball’s GQ interview is only the most recent point in a long-standing debate over the necessity of college for superstar athletes. Here are four points to help put Ball’s comments into shar...
Obscures Profound Exploitation, Inequality – The Rise Of Female UFC Fighters
SPORTS

Obscures Profound Exploitation, Inequality – The Rise Of Female UFC Fighters

The mixed martial arts pay-per-view event UFC 261 features two bouts that would have been unheard of just 10 years ago. Russian-born Valentina Shevchenko will fight Jessica Andrade, a Brazilian and an out lesbian, for the women’s flyweight title on April 24, 2021. That same night, Rose Namajunas, an American of Lithuanian descent, will square off against Zhang Weili, who has caused the popularity of the UFC to surge in her native China, for the women’s strawweight title. The rise of women in mixed martial arts – which the late Sen. John McCain once derided as “human cockfighting” – is remarkable, and reflects the diversity and global appeal of the sport. But as I write in my new book, “Fighting Visibility: Sports Women and Female Athletes in the UFC,” it’s important for fans and spectat...
For LGBTQ Americans Sports Remain Hostile Territory
LGBTQ, SPORTS

For LGBTQ Americans Sports Remain Hostile Territory

For all of the gains LGBTQ people have made over the past few decades, sports remain a highly visible reminder that homophobia and transphobia persist. CC BY-ND In recent years, more professional athletes, from U.S. women’s soccer team player Tierna Davidson to Olympic gymnast Danell Leyva, have come out of the closet. However, locker rooms remain less inclusive of LGBTQ people than places like schools or workplaces. And though many sports teams and figures have publicly campaigned against homophobia and transphobia, half of LGBTQ respondents in our recent study said that they’d experienced discrimination, insults, bullying or abuse while playing, watching or talking about sports. Mistreatment doesn’t discriminate by age For the study, we surveyed 4,000 U.S. adults and asked them whether t...