Skip to Main Content

Teach-In on Sustainability Fall 2025

Panel Discussion: The Role of Sports in Social Change

Panel Discussion: The Role of Sports in Social Change

Thursday, October 16 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST

Presenters

  • Olga Khokhryakova, PhD Candidate in Sport Management at Louisiana State University
  • Niko Emack, Affiliated Faculty, Communication Studies
  • Steph Smyrl, Associate Dean for Student Affairs & Director of Athletics

Description:

 Moderated by Department of Marketing Communication Chair and Professor, Nejem Raheem, this panel will answer how sports can help to create inclusive communities and achieve positive social impacts, both on a global scale and right here at Emerson. Attendees will also learn the impacts that Emerson students and alumni have in the athletics industry, and how they can connect their work to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Location

The Judee, Student Performance Center, Little Building

Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable Development Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries.

Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being

The United Nations describes the importance of this goal stating "Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being at all ages is essential to sustainable development. Urgent and concerted action is needed to set the world back on a trajectory towards achieving Goal 3."

Read more about Goal 3 here.

Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduce Inequalities

The United Nations created this goal to address inequalities existing in the world, explaining "Reducing inequalities and ensuring no one is left behind are integral to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Inequality within and among countries is a persistent cause for concern. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic appear to be reversing any positive trends of narrowing income inequality. The pandemic has also intensified structural and systemic discrimination. Emerging markets and developing economies are experiencing slow recoveries, widening disparities in income between countries. The number of refugees and migrant deaths worldwide reached the highest absolute number on record in 2021."

Read more about Goal 10 here.