Bonjour, Paris! U-M experts can discuss Olympic Games

EXPERTS ADVISORY

The 2024 Summer Games will begin July 24 and run through Aug. 11. The opening ceremony will be held on July 26. University of Michigan experts are available to discuss issues related to the games and France.

POLITICS

Charlotte Cavaillé, assistant professor of public policy, examines the dynamics of popular attitudes toward redistributive social policies at a time of rising inequality, high fiscal stress and high levels of immigration. She was born and raised in France.

"Following the recent snap elections called by President Macron in early June, no party was able to secure the number of seats necessary to form a stable government," she said. "How will the uncertainty affect the 2024 games? The main concern is the state's ability to respond to unexpected events, from a terrorist attack to domestic protests and strikes."

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Andrei Markovits is a professor of political science and Germanic languages and literatures. He has written many scholarly articles on various aspects of sports and their cultures and co-wrote the books "Offside: Soccer and American Exceptionalism," "Gaming the World: How Sports Are Reshaping Global Politics and Culture" and "SPORTISTA: Female Fandom in the United States."

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GLOBALIZING IMPACT OF OLYMPICS

Na Ri Shin, assistant professor of sport management, can discuss the globalizing impact of the Olympic Games and the potential of existing conflicts between the Olympic Standard vs. the local standard. For instance, the Paris 2024 Olympic Village does not have air conditioning and many European countries don't have air conditioners in most buildings. So, some countries' national teams are bringing in portable air conditioners. She can also discuss the differences between the Olympic Games hosted in the West (North America and Western Europe) and in the rest of the world.

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ECONOMICS/BUSINESS/TOURISM

Erik Gordon is a clinical assistant professor of business administration. His areas of interest include entrepreneurship and acquisitions, venture capital, private equity, investment banking, transportation, and digital and mobile marketing.

"The Olympics often fail to deliver the economic benefits that promoters claim and rarely change a city other than leaving behind sports facilities and parks, newly painted buildings and occasionally a neighborhood torn down for the games," he said. "Atlanta after its Olympics was like Atlanta before the Olympics, and Paris after the Olympics will still be Paris. Occasionally they leave behind a pile of debt. Montreal needed 30 years to pay off its Olympics debt."

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Nikolas Webster, clinical assistant professor of sport management, studies the cognitive, affective and behavioral consequences of sport fandom as well as issues surrounding the economics and management of sport.

"Hosting the Olympic Games is rarely an economic win for host cities," he said. "Bidding to host the games can start 10 to 14 years in advance and, usually, cities are chosen six to seven years out from hosting. Because of this, cities could spend millions on failed bids-for example, Tokyo spent millions of dollars on a failed bid for the 2016 Games.

"For the cities that do win the bid to host the games, it is up to the municipalities (taxpayers) to fund necessary infrastructure that is not already present (stadiums, arenas, roads, utilities, etc.). The 2024 Olympics cost an estimated $8.2 billion. Even though this is much lower than the most expensive games ever (the 2014 Sochi Olympics, with its $25 billion price tag), Paris will not likely see a positive ROI on this investment.

Regarding Salt Lake's City's bid for the 2034 Winter Olympics, which the IOC will decide July 24, Webster said:

"Cities like Paris (and Los Angeles in 2028) are chosen in part because they have existing infrastructure (stadiums, venues, hotels, airports, etc.), which means less dollars are needed to build these capital projects. Salt Lake City was the closest to staying on budget as host of the 2002 Winter Olympic games. Developed cities are more likely to spend less on infrastructure compared to less-developed cities."

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Stacy-Lynn Sant is an assistant professor of sport management. Her research focuses on the integration of human rights and sustainable development principles into the planning, management and delivery of mega sport events. She can address the social and economic impact of events on host communities.

"With the IOC adopting a human rights framework in 2022, Paris 2024 is the first Olympic Games to embed human rights requirements into the planning and delivery of the event. This is a unique opportunity to lead by example, ensuring the games not only celebrate athletic achievements but also advance human rights in France. The world will be watching," Sant said.

"Despite being the first Olympic hosts to embed human rights into the games, Paris 2024 will open with concerns about racial discrimination. French athletes are banned from wearing headscarves, while Muslim women and girls from other countries are free to compete with them. With the Paris Games being celebrated as the first gender-equal Olympics, this ban on headscarves is a troubling contradiction."

"It is unrealistic to expect any Olympics to solve long-standing issues in a host city, but organizers have a responsibility to mitigate negative impacts on the city's most vulnerable residents. There have already been worrying reports of evictions, homeless persons being bused out of the city ahead of the games, and controversial surveillance laws targeting racial minorities. Tackling these issues is essential to ensuring the games reflect the values of fairness and respect for all."

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Stefan Szymanski, professor of sport management, is an expert on sports economics; sports history, culture and society, with a focus on Detroit's Olympic bids; and international sports federations and the governance of sport, particularly soccer.

Szymanski teamed with U-M professor Silke-Maria Weineck and Detroit filmmaker Aaron Schillinger ("Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale") to produce a documentary film that will be screened July 23. The documentary, called "Detroit's Olympic Uprising," tells the story of Detroit's bid to host the 1968 Olympics and how that was impacted by the Detroit civil rights movement.

"Does the Olympics have a significant impact on the host city? What would have happened if the city had not been the host? In our documentary we explore the strange case of Detroit's quest to host the summer Olympics, focusing on the bid in 1963 to host the 1968 games," he said. "We know that the city's long-term prospects were damaged by the 1967 riots and rebellion. Would the transformation required to create an Olympic city have led Detroit down a different path?"

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MARKETING

Ron Wade, clinical assistant professor of sport management, will volunteer at the Paris Olympics and can speak about his experiences upon return. Wade's expertise focuses on traditional and digital marketing, media, and communications, with a focus on social media.

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Marcus Collins is an assistant clinical professor of marketing who keeps one foot in the world of academia and one in the world of practice-serving as the head of planning at Wieden+Kennedy New York.

"The Olympics are a display of human potential, and for years, we would gather around the television to watch the best of us demonstrate the elevated possibilities of us. It was a feat to behold. However, the advent of social networking technologies has not only enabled us to witness unbelievable athletic achievements in our newsfeeds 24 hours a day but also made the four-year wait for the games seem like an eternity," he said.

"This has proved problematic for the Olympics, which has been experiencing a decline in viewership over the years. But there's hope. We've seen this in leagues like the NBA. What was once an eight-month season for basketball has turned into a 12-month engagement thanks to the storytelling of the league. This is the opportunity for the Olympics: tell better stories and invite more people to participate in the storying with the games."

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RACE, GENDER AND SPORTS

Ketra Armstrong, professor of sport management and director of the Center for Race & Ethnicity in Sport, is an expert in the areas of race, gender and sport. She's particularly interested in discussing issues that impact or are relevant to the opportunities and experiences of Black women athletes.

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GAMES HISTORY/FILM

Silke-Maria Weineck, Grace Lee Boggs Collegiate Professor of Comparative Literature and German Studies, is a co-producer of the documentary "Detroit's Olympic Uprising," which will be screened July 23. The documentary tells the story of Detroit's bid to host the 1968 Olympics and how that was impacted by the Detroit civil rights movement. Weineck collaborated with U-M sports economist Stefan Szymanski and Detroit filmmaker Aaron Schillinger ("Boblo Boats: A Detroit Ferry Tale").

"Sports is a mirror of society-it remains intertwined with the fight for justice to this day," she said. "Race, gender and gender identity, public financing, local pride or abstract notions like fairness and honor-they are all negotiated through the lens of sports. The Olympics add a fascinating dimension of global politics to the mix."

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Scott W. Campbell, professor of communication and media, can discuss the uses and impact of mobile and social media at the Olympics.

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ETHICS

David Mayer is an associate professor of management and organizations. His research interests concern social and ethical issues in organizations. Specifically, he conducts research in three major areas: behavioral ethics, organizational justice and workplace diversity.

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For information on U-M athletes participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics, visit mgoblue.com/sports/olympics.

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