International Relations Council 2024 Berkley Lecture: Rethinking U.S. Policy Towards Sports
7 May 2024
2024 Berkley Lecture: Travis Murphy
To 2026 and Beyond: Rethinking U.S. Policy Toward Sports
With two of the biggest sporting events in world history taking place in the United States within the next five years in the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, our country and city are opening our doors to the world. As we've seen locally, this process requires years of careful planning, extensive cooperation and coordination between city, state, and national government officials, foreign dignitaries, and in the case of the FIFA World Cup - with our fellow host countries in Canada and Mexico. As our country rises to the occasion and our city takes on the challenge of being a World Cup host city, what sorts of opportunities come with the role of "host" to these sports events that will capture the world's attention?
Travis Murphy, drawing from his background as the NBA's former head of International Government Affairs, and his role as the top policy official for the U.S. State Department's Sports Diplomacy Program believes that these events provide the perfect opportunity for a fundamental policy shift in the government's approach to sports. Murphy has called sports one of the most powerful foreign policy tools in the United States government's arsenal and is calling for the president to appoint a special envoy for sports diplomacy.
About the Speaker
Travis Murphy is the founder and CEO of Jetr Global Sports + Entertainment, the latest step in a career spanning more than two decades working in and with governments around the world. Travis has served as a sports executive, American diplomat, and the chief of staff for a Member of Congress. Most recently, Travis oversaw international government affairs for the NBA, the world's most popular sports league, creating an innovative process of tracking and streamlining thousands of visa and passport cases around the world. He also played a key role in the release of WNBA player Brittany Griner from her detainment in Russia.
About the Berkley Lecture
The Berkley Lecture was founded in 1996 and brings an expert in foreign policy and global affairs to the Kansas City area. The lecture was established through the Berkley Endowment to honor the IRC's founder and his decades of service, and to provide a platform for engaging community members in understanding critical global issues. Past Berkley lecturers include former U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford (2014), Gerald Seib (2011), The Honorable Thomas R. Pickering (2005), and Admiral William J. Crowe, Jr. (1998).