On Monday evening, NBA sports agent Bill Duffy joined Stanford\u2019s Director of Athletics John Donahoe M.B.A. \u201986, Stanford football general manager Andrew Luck \u201912 M.A. \u201923 and Deputy Athletics Director Larissa Fontaine \u201900 M.S. \u201902 M.B.A. \u201908 for a frank discussion on the role of sports in America.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This panel is the latest in a speaker series hosted by Jim Steyer \u201978 J.D. \u201983, adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Education, titled \u201cWill America Fail the Midterms?\u201d Steyer has taught similar courses every year since 2023, inviting relevant speakers to discuss current issues with weekly themes.<\/p>\n
Steyer opened with a discussion on the youth mental health crisis. The presentation included striking statistics about the state of mental health in adolescents. \u201cThe fact that 20% of high school students have seriously considered committing suicide, that\u2019s extremely scary,\u201d Noah Shafer \u201929, who is enrolled in the class, said.<\/p>\n
The panel, composed entirely of parents, commented on their experiences helping their children navigate the pressures of self esteem, academic success and youth sports. Duffy, who represents multiple high school students, commented in regards to youth sports, \u201cwe index too much on the pressure instead of the participation.\u201d<\/p>\n
External pressures on athletes remained a theme throughout the evening, with Luck describing a fear of \u201clooking stupid\u201d towards fans as a persistent strain on the football players he oversees. Fontaine and Donahoe discussed the breadth of mental health services provided by the Stanford Athletics Department, which comprise a series of services offered following the 2022 suicide of Stanford soccer player Katie Meyer.<\/p>\n
Steyer shifted the conversation to consider how sports function as a platform for political activism. The speakers discussed how athletes manage external pressures alongside the responsibility of having a platform. Referencing players who do speak out, Luck said he was \u201cproud of these young men engaging in critical thought.\u201d Donahoe further proposed that athletes and companies should speak out on issues central to their identities.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the challenges of speaking out, Duffy and Steyer illustrated how athletes espousing political positions may face financial and professional repercussions, drawing lessons from Muhammad Ali and Colin Kaepernick\u2019s experiences. Fontaine cautioned, \u201cwe have to be really careful about what our expectations are of athletes to show up in certain moments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Student-athletes were recently presented with new incentives against public-facing activism following nascent NCAA regulation including permitting Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) partnerships. While the resulting incentive to be \u201cbrand-safe\u201d will remain, such student-brand partnerships may be affected by the still-pending Protect College Sports Act (PCSA), which in part regulates<\/a> sports agents and allows sharing ticket-revenue for student-athletes.<\/p>\n Donahoe described the current era of the NCAA as \u201ca period of lawlessness,\u201d saying Stanford needed to \u201cembrace the reality of the market\u201d while upholding the \u201cvalues and integrity of Stanford University.\u201d Both Duffy and Fontaine agreed the NIL system needed reform, and it currently does not provide student-athletes the same legal privileges afforded to professional athletes. Duffy further predicted this circumstance\u2014arising \u201cbecause of the greed of the NCAA,\u201d\u2014meant that \u201c[there will] be litigation and unionization\u201d in the future of college athletics.<\/p>\n Tying the conversation back to the course theme of the midterms, the speakers discussed how to manage political disagreement. Fontaine drew from her experience in athletics, asserting that managing political disagreements on a team is \u201cabout a common shared mission and goal, and finding the things we do agree on, putting aside the things we don\u2019t have to agree on.\u201d Ending the discussion, Duffy emphasized the importance of civility, saying, \u201cthe capability to communicate emotions, control yourself and just respect people\u2019s opinions is what we need.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis country is deeply divided right now,\u201d Steyer said in an interview with The Daily. \u201cWashington\u2019s leadership has failed the country, and so young people have the opportunity to learn and ultimately to lead, which is why I teach.\u201d<\/p>\n