Cover art: Will Brown
State of Play
State of Play is a global investigative podcast about how sports have become one of the most powerful political tools of our time.
From mega-events like the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup to the hidden influence of autocratic regimes and billion-dollar club ownerships, we uncover how games are used to launder reputations, reshape cities, and silence dissent.
Each season, we dive deep into where sports collide with politics, human rights, and the future of democracy. Hosted by journalists from the Global Reporting Centre and produced in collaboration with partners around the world, State of Play follows the money, tells the stories of those most affected, and asks who really wins — and who loses — all while the world is cheering.
Season 1 Trailer
Produced By
Distributed By
Awards
2025 DPA (Silver) for Best Podcast, Current Affairs
An “illuminating and alarming” series that “reveals how the games can cause debt and disruption and displace vulnerable people.”
Coming soon
Season 2 – State of Play: When FIFA Comes To Town
In 2026, the FIFA Men’s World Cup will return to North America. This season investigates the power and politics behind the world’s biggest sporting event, and the local and global consequences of hosting it. From host city struggles to backroom deals, we examine how FIFA’s promises of unity and prosperity collide with travel bans, trade wars, and the realities on the ground.
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Season 1 – State of Play: Summer Games
The Olympics are meant to welcome the world, but who are they really for? In this six-part series, meet the people who are moved out, pushed out, and priced out in the name of sports.
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S01 E01 Unwelcome in Paris
Police raid a migrant squat 100 days before the 2024 Olympics begin. Efforts to bus unhoused people out of the city don’t unfold as planned.
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S01 E02 Switching Teams
Jules Boykoff, former Team USA soccer player, recalls his path to becoming a leading expert on the anti-Olympics movement.
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S01 E03 Torched Promises
Vancouver pledged to do the games differently in 2010. On the site of a tent city that took hold during the games, the mayor promised to build social housing.
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S01 E04 Fighting Back
A South Central LA neighborhood fights back against Olympic-related development and displacement near the city’s iconic stadiums.
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S01 E05 Sport Capital USA
More mega events are coming to Los Angeles. What LA’s push to become an international sports destination means for the city’s unhoused communities.
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S01 E06 How We Win
Can the Olympics be fixed?
Bonus Episodes – State of Play: The Ugly Side of Global Soccer
A three-part bonus mini-series investigating the rise of chequebook diplomacy in global football. As we look at sports, politics, and the price of power and influence, these bonus episodes focus on the ugly side of the ‘beautiful game’.
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Bonus Episode 1: Is Los Angeles Ready?
Amid ICE raids, protests and federal friction, is LA prepared for the FIFA World Cup?
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Bonus Episode 2: FIFA’s Club World Cup Circus
The Club World Cup ends with cheers, boos, and confusion
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Bonus Episode 3: Summer, Soccer, and Saudi
What you think you know about sportswashing
The approach
This podcast follows an approach we at the Global Reporting Centre call empowerment journalism. Grounded in equity, accuracy, and reciprocity, empowerment journalism seeks to tell stories in an ethical and non-extractive way. To learn more about this type of journalism, check out our guide.
Homeless in Olympic host cities
July 12 2024
In this bonus episode, Andie Crossan talks with Olympic speed skater and urban planner Christine Nesbitt about what happened to the plan to convert two-thirds of Vancouver’s 1,100-unit Olympic Village into affordable and subsidized housing. She also talks with two former mayors—Sam Sullivan and Gregor Robertson—who held office before, during, and after the Games.
GRC production team for Season 1 – State of Play: Summer Games
Andrea Crossan (host) is a veteran radio journalist and award-winning podcast maker. Most recently, she co-produced the podcast Land Back for CBC. Previously, she was Executive Producer of PRX’s The World, and has also worked for the BBC, Associated Press, and NBC News.
Britney Dennison (executive producer) is the GRC’s executive editor and a Murrow-award winning journalist who focuses on stories told through an empowerment journalism approach. Her work has appeared in major media outlets, including NBC News, PBS NewsHour, Mother Jones, the PBS series FRONTLINE, the Toronto Star and more.
Sarah Berman (senior producer) is an investigative journalist and podcast maker. Most recently, she wrote and produced the true crime podcast Pressure Cooker for CBC. Previously, she was a senior editor at VICE and coordinated their coverage of homelessness and addiction issues on the West Coast. Photo: Michael Benz
Jesse Winter (senior producer) is an award-winning photojournalist with experience covering the intersections of poverty, substance use, and homelessness. Recent projects include a series on encampments in Vancouver and an in-depth investigation into the lack of support for seniors experiencing homelessness. Photo: Matt Law
Sharon Nadeem (producer) is a multimedia journalist focused on migration, environment, and Indigenous issues. Sharon is reporting on the profound changes in downtown Vancouver as a result of the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Katarina Sabados (producer) is an investigative reporter focused on corruption and environmental issues. Katarina is reporting on the experiences of residents in Los Angeles impacted by several mega sporting events.
Andrew Munroe (digital producer) is the GRC’s designer, developer, and digital producer. He’s led work on multimedia and interactive projects with organizations like The Tyee, The Committee to Protect Journalists, and Associated Press.
Editorial support
Phineas Rueckert, Paris Reporter
Sophie Stuber, Paris Reporter
Bea Lehmann, Archive
Juliana Konrad, Fact-checking
Audio production support
Audio post-production by Newfruit Media with sound editing and mixing by
Daniel Rinaldi
Valentina Fonseca
Aaron Keane
Daniel Murcia
Media and funder partnerships
The first season of State of Play is supported by the Lohn Foundation, the Hamber Foundation, Creative BC, and Stardust Fund, and distributed by PRX.
For partnership inquiries, please contact Andrea Crossan, Executive Director, at Andrea Crossan [email protected].
