The Playing Field: When Sports Go Global

PAST EVENT VIDEO

Kay Bradley, Andrés Martinez, and Paul Poast discuss how sports are crossing borders, attracting new audiences, and reflecting broader global trends.

Paul Poast, Kay Bradley, and Andrés Martinez on the Council stage

Ana Miyares Photography

Speakers

Kay Bradley
Andrés Martinez
Paul Poast

Event Date

April 21, 2026

About This Event

For much of the past century, American sport was a world unto itself, with its own leagues, its own rules, and its own audiences. That appears to be changing. US investors are buying European football clubs, American leagues are playing games abroad, and with the FIFA World Cup arriving in North America this summer, sport has become a window into how American influence travels. What does sport reveal about how America engages with the rest of the world and how the world engages with America? What does it mean for teams, leagues, and fans when the game goes global? Join Kay Bradley and Andrés Martinez, moderated by Paul Poast, as they discuss how global trends are transforming sports and what it means for the future.

This program is generously presented by Project Level, a major investment fund dedicated to growing women’s sports through long-term partnerships and ownership in teams and leagues. Launched by Ariel Investments in 2025, it is helping bring new capital and visibility to women’s sports in the US and Europe. Learn more about this exciting project.

Copies of Andrés Martinez’s book, The Great Game: A Tale of Two Footballs and America's Quest to Conquer Global Sport, will be available for sale and signing at the program.

About the Speakers

Kay Bradley

Chief Marketing Officer, Chicago Stars FC

Kay Bradley is the chief marketing officer of the Chicago Stars FC. Previously, she served as vice president of marketing at US Soccer, where she was responsible for growing soccer in the United States with a focus on connecting US Soccer, its partners, and key soccer stakeholders with current and prospective multicultural, next-generation fans of the women’s and men’s national teams.

Andrés Martinez

Special Advisor and Professor of Practice, Office of University Affairs; Co-Director, The Great Game Lab, Arizona State University

Andrés Martinez is a special advisor to Arizona State University President Michael Crow and a professor of practice at the Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He is also the co-director of The Great Game Lab, which explores how the US connects to the rest of the world through sport.

Paul Poast

Senior Nonresident Fellow, Foreign Policy and Public Opinion, Chicago Council on Global Affairs

Paul Poast is an associate professor of political science at the University of Chicago. In addition to being a senior nonresident fellow on foreign policy and public opinion at the Council, he's also a foreign affairs columnist for World Politics Review. His research, funded by the National Science Foundation, has received numerous awards and recognitions—notably the Walter Isard Award and the Lepgold Prize.

Opening Remarks

Carlos E. Calderon

Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Ariel Investments

Carlos is chief financial officer of Ariel Investments and its affiliated entities, including Ariel Alternatives and Project Level. He is responsible for financial functions across all corporate entities, including financial reporting, corporate development, planning and analysis, accounting, and capital management. Calderon joined the Council's board in 2022.

Construction Alert Please note that the Randolph Street lobby of the Prudential building, where guests enter for Council events, will be under construction from April through December.

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