state
of
play
coming summer 2024
A new podcast series on how major sporting events reshape our cities.
Overview
We jump out of our seats to high-five our friends. We shout and chant and clap in unison. We wave flags, wear the national team shirts and paint our faces with the colours of flags.
Being a sports fan is fun. And living in a city hosting a huge sports event can be exciting and can feel like the whole city is coming together to celebrate.
But these events come at a cost.
Hosting major sporting events like the Olympic games or FIFA World Cup can transform cities in ways that can change them forever.
In STATE OF PLAY, we’ll hear these stories of change directly from the people living through them.
Season 01
Homeless in the Host City
Coming summer 2024, Homeless in the Host City centers on people displaced by the lead-up, running, and legacy of different Olympic Games.
As told by people in three host cities (Vancouver, Paris, and Los Angeles), we’ll hear where they were then, where they are now, and where they expect to be in the future.
With these first-hand accounts as guides, we’ll investigate how the impacts of the Olympics are felt long after the closing ceremony.
Paris
Summer 2024
Los Angeles
Summer 2028
Vancouver
Winter 2010
The approach
Following an approach we at the Global Reporting Centre call empowerment journalism, this podcast will be produced in partnership with the people whose stories we’re helping to tell.
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 recently-published guide.
Production team
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.
Sarah Berman (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 (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 (reporter) 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 (reporter) 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.
Media and funder partnerships
The first season of STATE OF PLAY is currently in pre-production, thanks to support from Creative BC, the Lohn Foundation, the Hamber Foundation, and Stardust Fund.
We’re also in early planning for a second season, The Pitch, which will focus on the North American 2026 FIFA World Cup — slated to be the largest sporting event in history.
For partnership inquiries for either season, please contact Andrea Zeelie-Varga, Development Officer, at [email protected].
Header IMage credit: Composite created from photos by Joshua Hoehne (ball) and Léo Crouzille (construction), Unsplash