Designing Sports with a Purpose: Why the 2026 World Cup Must Be More Than Just a Game
As the 2026 World Cup heads to North America, it's time to rethink the social role of sports. With civic engagement at an all-time low, sports could rekindle a shared sense of humanity. But will they?
I remember watching the Olympics as a kid, eyes glued to the TV, captivated by the idea of nations coming together under one roof. For a moment, it seemed like sports could transcend politics, the way music sometimes does. But now, that idealism feels like a relic from a bygone era. The grand vision of sport as a moral compass has been hijacked by commercialization and geopolitics.
The Original Vision
De Coubertin had a wild idea: sports as a space for practicing civility. This wasn't some whimsical notion. In 1892, he was up against commercial forces and political turmoil, much like we're today. He believed that when athletes played by the same rules, they weren't just competing, they were practicing civilization. Spare me the roadmap that led us here.
FIFA's founders shared a similar vision, they saw the World Cup as a platform for international respect. Not just entertainment, but a space of cooperation. Fast forward to today, and we're looking at $150 million in bribes and corruption scandals. The press release said innovation. The 10-K said losses. This drift isn't just disappointing. it's a structural failure.
Broader Implications
So here we're, gearing up for the 2026 World Cup in North America. Five billion people are expected to tune in. That's not just a number. it's a cultural juggernaut. At a time when the U.S. is more divided than ever, sports could be the last bastion of shared experience. But will it? Or will it just be another exercise in maximizing revenue?
Look, if 8 in 10 Americans can't agree on basic facts with the opposing political party, what makes us think a soccer game will do the trick? Yet the appetite for real, joyful shared experiences is enormous. We need to think about what we're designing here. A cash grab or a community space?
Where Do We Go From Here?
Here's the thing: The future of sports isn't written in stone. The redesigners are already at work. Take Oakland Roots & Soul, for instance. They raised $4 million in equity from fans. That's the kind of model we should be looking at, one that puts community and values ahead of mere profit.
And then there's Parkrun, gathering millions globally for free, inclusive participation. It turns out that when you align civic and commercial instincts, magic happens. So what should we do with this information? Demand better. We should be asking ourselves, "What are sports actually for?" Because if we don't, we're just leaving our cultural destiny to chance.
In the end, the future of sports will be defined by what we choose to design, or ignore. And I've seen enough to know we can't afford to ignore it much longer.