Mega sporting events like the upcoming Winter Olympics and FIFA World Cup can have major impacts both environmentally and economically. North Carolina State University experts can provide insight on how these events affect the places they take place in, as well as explain the science of the sports themselves.
Jonathan Casper, professor in the College of Natural Sciences, whose research focuses on sport and health promotion and sport ecology is available to speak to media about the Olympics. Specifically, Casper can speak on the sustainability and environmental impact of mega sporting events, the spectatorship of sports and the link between spectatorship and sport participation within the Olympics.
“Mega sporting events have a significant environmental impact, driven largely by travel, energy consumption and waste. They also represent an opportunity, and when done intentionally, they can serve as high-profile platforms for advancing sustainability and changing norms.”
Casper can be reached at jmcasper@ncsu.edu.
Kasey Wagoner is an assistant professor of physics at NC State who is interested in the oldest light in the universe – the cosmic microwave background – as well as the physics of sports, including Olympic sports. He wrote this piece examining the physics of figure skating jumps, as well as this piece discussing the NFL’s new dynamic kickoff rule.
Wagoner can be reached at kwagone@ncsu.edu.
Michael Edwards is a professor in the College of Natural Resources who can speak on the economic, social and community legacies of mega sporting events. You can read his breakdown of the economic and social impacts of the Super Bowl here.
Edwards can be reached at mbedward@ncsu.edu.
