Global Stage: Sport, Influence, and the Politics of Mega-Events

Global sporting events are not only moments of competition—they are platforms where politics, power, and international influence are on full display.

As Seattle prepares for the FIFA World Cup 2026, it will become part of a global system in which sport is used to project influence, shape reputation, and advance strategic interests. From public investment and governance decisions to debates over labor, human rights, and global perception, these events reveal how deeply sport is intertwined with international affairs.

This conversation will examine the role of mega-events in today’s geopolitical landscape. How do countries use sport to signal power and legitimacy? What are the political and economic stakes of hosting? And how do these global spectacles reflect broader tensions and alignments in the world today?

Join us for a discussion that goes beyond the pitch to explore how sport operates as a tool of global politics—and what it means for Seattle to take part in this high-stakes arena.

Free for WAC members, educators, and students.

About our Speakers:

Dr. Lindsay Sarah Krasnoff is a globally-recognized sports diplomacy expert, speaker, and consultant who helps industry professionals be more effective communicators to international audiences by drawing on her deep expertise in sports, communications, and diplomacy.

Lindsay’s pioneering work as a scholar-practitioner of basketball diplomacy and Franco-American sports diplomacy inscribed the power of individual lived experiences into the public record. Thanks to these blueprints, citizens worldwide can be empowered to be better sports diplomats – or to take inspiration from a sports diplomat’s playbook – in leveling-up their leadership, engagement, and storytelling abilities.

Krasnoff has worked with institutions like the UT Center for Sport, Peace & Society, Laureus Foundation, FIBA Foundation, the NBA Players Association, NBPA Foundation, as well as French and American government representatives and ambassadors, to demystify sports diplomacy and use it as a slam dunk for humanity in their strategic communications, storytelling, professional training, and leadership development efforts.

Ron Krabill is a Professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences at UW Bothell and the Inaugural Director of the Global Sport Lab in the Jackson School of International Studies at UW Seattle. A scholar of media and cultural studies, his work explores the intersections of media, politics, and human rights—particularly in South Africa—as well as critical pedagogy, international education, and the global politics of soccer. 

A UW faculty member since 2002, Krabill is a recipient of the UW Distinguished Teaching Award and the Distinguished Teaching for Teams Award for his work co-founding and co-directing the UWB Global Scholars Program, which expands access to international education. 

Building on his research in South Africa, Krabill led a UW study abroad program to the 2010 World Cup, partnering with the Seattle Sounders, Cape Town Community Television, the University of Cape Town, and local media activists to produce and broadcast short documentaries on the Cup’s impact in Cape Town. He has since directed six additional study abroad programs focused on the politics of soccer, including trips to Spain, France during the 2019 Women’s World Cup, and Rwanda in 2023. 

As Director of the Global Sport Lab, Krabill is advancing UW’s leadership in critical sport studies while expanding public programming and civic engagement around the intersection of sports and social justice.

About our Moderator

Dr. Jennifer Lee Hoffman is a Professor in the College of Education and a core faculty member of the Center for Leadership in Athletics at the University of Washington, Seattle. Hoffman's scholarship sits at the intersection of intercollegiate athletics and higher education, drawing on qualitative, conceptual, and policy analysis methods. Hoffman's work has been recognized with the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) 2021 Special Merit Award. Her early and continuing research program examines the factors that influence participation in leadership of intercollegiate athletics, the ways data informs decision-making within athletic departments, and how policies shape the structure and culture of college sports in significant ways. Hoffman is the author of College Sports and Institutional Values in Competition: Leadership Challenges.