In the new Centre for Sport, Physical Activity & Health Equality (SPHERE) Podcast Series, Professor Emma Rich will deep dive into sport’s influence, both positive and negative, on social inequalities.
With nine episodes released so far, and more planned, the series sees Emma speak to academic experts, practitioners and students to explore key topics.
So far, Emma has spoken to guests such as Professor Holly Thorpe (University of Waikato) about gender-related opportunities and challenges in digital, physical and sporting cultures; Briony Smith on the barriers she’s faced as one of the top up-and-coming female coaches in women’s football; and Dr Sheree Bekker and Professor Stephen Mumford, who launched the Feminist Sports Lab.
Talking about the SPHERE Podcast Series, Emma said:
Sport can transform lives and drive social change, but persistent inequalities are holding back certain communities and individuals. This podcast is about facing those realities and finding ways to make a difference.
The Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics was the first ‘gender equitable’ Games, with a 50:50 male female athlete participation. There were incredible moments: Amber Rutter winning silver in skeet shooting just three months after giving birth, and the first-ever all-Black podium in women’s gymnastics.
But there’s a long way to go. Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting faced online hate, a convicted sex offender was controversially included, and French athletes were banned from wearing the hijab. These moments show us the hard truths about inequality that still run deep in sport.
And that’s exactly what this podcast is about: tackling these issues head-on with experts and real-world stories.
New episodes of the podcast are released regularly, with issues such as inclusion at the 2024 Paralympics; gambling and sport; and gender and action sports set to be discussed in the coming months.
If you want to find out more about the SPHERE Podcast Series, or think you could appear as a guest, please contact Professor Emma Rich at e.rich@bath.ac.uk