Global Sport Lab

Nothing captures the range of global human experience like sport. Every game, goal, over, inning, point and match happens in a historical, environmental, political, cultural and economic context.

Global Sport Lab

In anticipation of the world’s largest sporting event arriving in Seattle in 2026 – The Men’s FIFA World Cup, The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies and our partners have created the Global Sport Lab.

The Global Sport Lab aims to provide students and the public opportunities to learn about global sport and global connections through the expertise of our faculty, staff, guest speakers and community engagements. The Lab uses the lens of sport to explore the big challenges of our global world, such as inequity, politics, injustice, human rights, popular culture, democracy and the economy.

For UW students, the Lab will work to support and highlight courses covering a range of regional and disciplinary perspectives on global sport.  For Jackson School majors, that course of study can culminate in a global sport centered capstone – a policy oriented Task Force, Advanced Reading or Public Writing seminar.

Public audiences are invited to join us in our Global Sport lecture series.  We will feature scholars, policymakers and public figures from the sporting world able to put Seattle’s World Cup moment in global perspective.

UW Global Sport Lab Podcast on SoundCloud

(ep.6): Sport in Post-Genocide Rwanda

Zaria Court is a newly-opened sports, entertainment, and cultural district located next to Amahoro Stadium and BK Arena (home of the Basketball Africa League) in the heart of Kigali, Rwanda. Zaria Court seeks to become a model for African urban development centered around sports and related activities. Join the Director of the Global Sport Lab, Ron Krabill, as he sits down with Che Rupari, Brand and Campus Manager for Zaria Court Kigali, and UW professor Ben Gardner to discuss the challenges and opportunities of using sports and sports infrastructure for economic development, tourism, and nation building in post-genocide Rwanda.

(ep.5): Interview with U.S. and Indian Takraw Players

(ep.4): Paris Saint-Germain F.C. vs Seattle Sounders F.C. 

(ep.3) Interview with Martha Saveedra

(ep.2): Interview with Markku Jokisipilä

(ep.1): Interview with Laurent Dubois

Global Sport Lab Email: globalsportlab@uw.edu

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Study Abroad

Autumn 2025 Courses

  • JSIS 110: Sports and Global Affairs

    In-person | TTh | 10:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m. | Taso G. Lagos
    Covers the connection between sports and global affairs, including wars, dictatorships, racism, and women and LGTBQIA communities’ discrimination, while also examining several socioeconomic, political, and historical issues at local, national, and global levels.

  • EDUC 221: Education and the Playfield

    Hybrid | MW | 10 a.m.-11:20 a.m. | Jennifer Peterson, Sam Brown
    Examines the intersection of education and sport from early childhood to college experiences. Explores educational themes related to physical development, sport’s influence on individual and community development, access to physical activities, equity and inclusion within the sports environment, and the role of sports in social change.

Summer 2025 Courses

  • SOC 222: Sociology of Sport

    Synchronous Online | TTh | 12-2:10 p.m. | Edward Lucas Hock
    Introduction to the sociological analysis of sport. Issues include the history, definition, and functions of sport; role of sport in the socialization of children; the relationship between sport and values; athletics within the social organization of education; deviance, crime, and violence in sport; the business and economics of sport. 

Archive of course offerings

Forthcoming Public Lectures