#183: Professor Jason Kido Lopez, an expert in sports media and cultural studies: “Sports don’t have to be the way they are.”

Jason Lopez joined us for an excellent conversation on his latest research and teaching. As a BIOS fellow, Jason contributes expertise in the areas of sports media and cultural studies. We discussed:

1.     What Jason studies as a professor of sports media. Athlete activism and speech. The unscripted nature of sports. Sports games: fantasy sports, sports gambling.

2.     Jason’s journey to academia. Philosophy studies. Key people along the way.

3.     Being a third generation Dodger fan. Allegiance to L.A. sports teams.

4.     Media literacy. How it’s made, how it’s communicated, what’s done with it.

5.     New book about sports betting. Gambling has always been a part of the business. “Games are good for sports business.” 

6.     The power of education in the area of sports gambling.

7.     Student interests shift. More talk about sports betting. More interests in different sports. F1. WNBA. More students wanting to work in sports media. There are more opportunities.

8.     Serving as a BIOS fellow. “BIOS has been really inspiring for me…Going to talks and hearing people work on aspects of sports that I never would engage with otherwise, I really come away really energized. Also, it’s helped me have conversations and make connections that I don’t think I would have had otherwise.”

9.     A new paper with BIOS fellow Professor Julie Stamm.

10.  Sports don’t have to be the way they are.