EXPERTS ADVISORY

As the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off this week, the tournament—with an expanded format of 32 teams from the previous 24—will for the first time be jointly hosted by two countries, Australia and New Zealand. University of Michigan experts are available to comment.

CULTURE AND SPORTS

Andrei Markovits, the Karl W. Deutsch Collegiate Professor of Comparative Politics and German Studies, wrote the book “Women in American Soccer and European Football: Different Roads to Shared Glory,” and co-wrote “Offside: Soccer and American Exceptionalism” and “Gaming the World: How Sports Are Reshaping Global Politics and Culture.” He will attend the games in Australia this year—his fourth women’s world cup.

“This World Cup will witness a showdown between the North American college-based model of women’s Association Football (soccer) and its European club-based counterpart,” he said. “This is a unique tournament in the women’s game. Very different from the previous ones because the game has become a cultural dimension.

“It used to be sort of exotic. It used to be marginal, but as of the past 4-5 years, has become a major political and cultural construct. After being treated as unwelcome intruders by the soccer establishments in all European countries, women have gained full, even enthusiastic, acceptance to Europe’s vaunted club-based culture, including its time-tested player-development apparatus.”

Contact: 734-905-0156, andymark@umich.edu

Ketra Armstrong, professor of sport management and director of the Center for Race & Ethnicity in Sport at the School of Kinesiology. She is a former NCAA Division I scholarship student-athlete, coach (women’s basketball) and athletic administrator. Over the years, she has performed integral roles in advising/consulting, research, management, marketing, and/or media relations for numerous youth, community, collegiate, professional and international sports events.

“This is an exciting time for women’s sports. Although a male-centric gender ideology is still firmly entrenched in the institution of sport, women’s sports are growing in popularity and their sociocultural importance is being realized,” she said. “Women athletes are feeling more empowered and are using their sports platforms to advocate for civil liberties, equality and justice in and out of competitions.

“The Women’s World Cup has historically played a key role in galvanizing the sports world and showcasing women’s place in it. I am looking forward to seeing the images and hearing the narratives that will unfold and be spotlighted in this edition of the Women’s World Cup.”

Contact: 734-647-3027, ketra@umich.edu

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ECONOMICS/BUSINESS

Mark Rosentraub is the Bruce and Joan Bickner Endowed Professor of Sport Management and director of the Center for Sports Venues and Real Estate Development at the School of Kinesiology. He can talk about the economics and management of sports; tourism, amenities, and social and economic development.

“World Cup tournaments produce small, short-term economic impacts. If a host country is able to host the competitions without building new venues and unneeded infrastructure, the games and their economic impact can be quite positive (revenue exceeds expense),” he said.

“Those countries, including Australia, that built venues for international competitions that were not needed on an ongoing basis found that the cost of hosting the games and competitions can exceed the economic gains. Hosting the competition, however, is a great social experience and fans throughout the country will enjoy an extraordinary experience. While those benefits are real and vital, it is important for host countries to minimize investments in venues and other infrastructure assets that are not needed after the games conclude.”

Contact: 734-647-1309, msrosen@umich.edu

Stefan Szymanski is the Stephen J. Galetti Collegiate Professor of Sport Management and co-director of the Michigan Center for Sport Management at the School of Kinesiology. He is a leading expert in the economics of sports in general and soccer in particular. Author of several books, including the New York Times bestseller “Soccernomics,” he can discuss the economic impact and legacy of the Women’s World Cup.

Contact: 734-647-0950, stefansz@umich.edu

Erik Gordon is a clinical assistant professor of business administration at the Ross School of Business. His areas of interest include entrepreneurship and acquisitions, venture capital, private equity, investment banking, transportation, and digital and mobile marketing.

“Major sporting events like the WWC bring a mixture of excitement, pride and disappointment to their hosts, who tend to overestimate the economic benefits,” he said. “Consultants hired to justify the expense of hosting events have a mystical way of counting every dollar that visitors spend two or three times. They underestimate costs. They treat the costs of infrastructure improvements as capital expenditures, not costs, and they underestimate the costs of crowd control and security.

“The economic benefits are concentrated in the hotels and restaurants that are filled; and also in the construction industry that works overtime to build the facilities. There is a mini-boom up to and through the games, followed by a mini-bust after the games close. Some events leave behind unpaid bills and a debt burden that lasts a decade. The biggest benefit often is the pride hosts enjoy in putting on games that are in the global spotlight. The biggest beneficiaries of hosting pride are countries that haven’t hosted major events and can now show they are capable of hosting an event as big as the WWC.”

Contact: 734-764-5274, rmegordo@umich.edu

Aradhna Krishna, the Dwight F. Benton Professor of Marketing at the Ross School of Business. She can discuss equal pay rights, audience and ticket pricing at the World Cup, which is on pace to be the most-attended women’s sporting event ever.

“U.S. women are losing control over their bodies in the abortion battle. Yet, they thunder on in another battleground. We rule in soccer,” she said. “The worldwide audience in women’s soccer has been growing rapidly and a large part of the credit must be given to the U.S. women’s soccer team and their World Cup wins. These wins brought them a large U.S. audience (of roughly 50:50 men and women), perhaps the largest numbers for a female sport in the U.S.

“Their wins also garnered them public support; and support from the male soccer players for equal pay to men (after all, female soccer is watched by more people in the U.S. than male soccer). When U.S. soccer did well in earnings, Europe followed suit by publicizing the female soccer leagues and building up the tournaments. The U.S. women’s soccer team and the spectators of U.S. women’s soccer have lifted the sport and given women the right to rule with their bodies (and minds), and rule with equality to men. The same belief in women and the right to rule their bodies is needed for more basic human rights.”

Contact: 734-764-2322, aradhna@umich.edu

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MARKETING

Stacy-Lynn Sant, assistant professor of sport management at the School of Kinesiology, conducts research focusing on the legacy of mega sporting events, bid strategies and the leveraging of these events for long-term benefits to the tourism industry in the host city and region.

“Even before the start of the event, athletes are drawing attention to human rights issues,” she said. “In addition to championing women’s sport globally, several athletes are involved in a climate campaign to highlight the environmental impact of international soccer tournaments. Athletes are using media attention associated with the event to advocate for causes important to them.

“While western Australia is set to welcome a record number of international visitors, New Zealand has struggled to sell tickets and hotel bookings are fewer than expected. Considered long-haul destinations for Western travelers, visa requirements, expensive flights and low interest in travel to New Zealand have led to sponsors giving away free tickets to fill venues. The biggest draws for hosting a World Cup are visitations and tourism revenue and it seems New Zealand may not meet its projections.”

Contact: 734-647-2704, slsant@umich.edu

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SOCCER TACTICS & ANALYSIS

Jennifer Klein is the head coach of the U-M women’s soccer program. She can talk about soccer and the tactical trends in the game.

“The World Cup is always an exciting time of the year. So much soccer to watch. It is a great opportunity to see different playing styles on display as each team/country completes to advance to the final,” she said. “As a coach or soccer fan, the games provide a great opportunity to watch, evaluate and learn the formations, schemes and tactics. You also get to witness the new trends in the women’s game and how what aspects will trickle down to other levels of the game.

“With the tournament expanding to 32 teams, we will have opportunities to see a lot of new countries compete for the first time in a World Cup. It will also be fun to watch and observe how each team/country’s styles and philosophies match up against each other.”

Contact: 734-881-7839, kleinjen@umich.edu

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Scott Campbell, the Constance F. and Arnold C. Pohs Professor of Telecommunications and professor of communication and media and of digital studies, can discuss the uses and impact of mobile and social media during the World Cup.

Contact: 734-764-1300, swcamp@umich.edu

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TECHNOLOGY

Thomas Finholt, professor of information at the School of Information, can discuss the instrumented ball that will be used in this year’s Women’s World Cup and what it allows us to know about soccer matches and outcomes. He can also talk about wearable devices worn by the players and the use of advanced statistics.

Contact: 734-647-3576, finholt@umich.edu