The Business Of Sport Podcast - Mary Harvey - Chief Executive - Centre For Sport and Human Rights

The Business Of Sport Podcast - Mary Harvey - Chief Executive - Centre For Sport and Human Rights

Callum Murray's guest on this edition of the Business of Sport podcast with the International Sports Convention is Mary Harvey, who graduated from playing in goal for the US women's national soccer team that won both the inaugural Women's World Cup in 1991 and gold medals at the 1996 Olympic games, to her present role as chief executive of the recently established Centre for Sport and Human Rights, a human rights organisation for the world of sport.
In between, she worked for Fifa and then the successful joint bid by USA, Canada and Mexico to host the 2026 men's World Cup,
There couldn't be a more timely and pivotal moment to discuss issues of human rights in sport, and, asked if the Black Lives Matter campaign that's sweeping the world presents an
opportunity for the Centre to raise and amplify human rights issues in sport that might have been going unheard previously, Harvey replies: "Absolutely. I'm asking for a paradigm shift
in every part of our lives. I'm not a person of colour, I'm white, but" – and here she quotes a banner she saw while attending a Black Lives Matter protest march the day before the interview – "silence equals privilege." Harvey says she regards athletes who have staged high-profile protests, such as Colin Kaepernick and Megan Rapinoe, as "human rights defenders, rather than troublemakers," commending them for standing up for what they believe in, even though it might mean putting their livelihoods and their physical safety at risk. In the wake of the COVID-19
lockdown, she adds: "I really hope that sport now has an opportunity to look at itself and say, "We can do better by these people'." In the interview, Harvey also discusses other contemporary human rights issue in sport, including the plight of migrant workers helping to build the infrastructure for the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar and the case of Larry Nassar, the disgraced USA Gymnastics doctor who sexually abused dozens of young athletes, and how they can be prevented from recurring ("First thing is, don't bury your head in the sand," she says, with reference to the Nassar case. "It's there. It's in all walks of life and it's a question of, let's get serious about safeguarding.")
The funding of bodies involved in sport integrity – combating doping, match-fixing and the abuse of athletes – also comes under the microscope, with Harvey pointing out that the anti-
doping movement is by far the best funded of the three. "I think we have to look at that," she says. "It's disproportionate. Harvey applauds the IOC's moves towards gender parity in appointments to its commissions and in the athletes taking part in its events, but, for her, the "bible" on human rights in sport is The Ruggie Report, written in 2016 by John Ruggie, Patron of the Institute for Human Rights and Business. "The Ruggie Report stands up over time in terms of what sports bodies can do to really embrace human rights…", she says. "Any sports bodies that are listening to
this, that really is a fantastic piece of work – and it's public."

Episoder(176)

The Business of Sport - Hugo Inglis

The Business of Sport - Hugo Inglis

Hugo Inglis is a four-time Olympian with New Zealand. For over a decade, he scored goals at the very top of international elite Field Hockey. Nowadays, Hugo is a co-founder of High Impact Athletes (HIA), a global movement empowering athletes to fund the world's most effective climate and social solutions. Under his leadership, HIA has grown to over 220 athletes across 48 sports and 34 countries, collectively driving almost $2 million in donations, improving almost half a million lives, protecting nearly 7 million animals and mitigating more than 600,000+ tonnes of CO₂e. Grounded in science, technology, and storytelling, Hugo is committed to turning sport's cultural power into real-world impact.

24 Okt 36min

Her Business of Sport - Lindsey Eckhouse

Her Business of Sport - Lindsey Eckhouse

Lindsey Eckhouse is the Chief Revenue Officer at Mercury 13, a multi-club ownership group focussed on acquiring controlling stakes in professional women's teams in Europe and Latin America. Lindsey has previous experience in sport with the NFL and Maclaren Racing.

21 Sep 41min

Her Business of Sport - Sally Sheppard

Her Business of Sport - Sally Sheppard

With the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 in full swing, the RFU's Head of Consumer Engagement, Sally Sheppard, joined our Her Business of Sport podcast to assess the success of the tournament so far and to reveal an insight into England Rugby's plans to harness new supporters in the future.

15 Sep 37min

Her Business of Sport - Emily Heath

Her Business of Sport - Emily Heath

After more than 15 years with Unilever and over a decade as Global Lead of their Rexona/Sure brand of deodorant, Emily has led numerous high impact global campaigns and strategic partnerships. The Sure brand, known as Rexona globally, is over a hundred years old, but Emily's focus is very much on the future, developing on-going partnerships with Manchester City FC, the reigning World Club Champions, Chelsea Football Club and the UEFA Women's Euro Tournament, recently won by England. This is part of a broader strategy to drive brand growth, global visibility and deeper consumer engagement. Her work has been instrumental in unlocking new audiences, delivering measurable commercial returns and helping to establish Rexona as the world's number one deodorant brand.

8 Sep 31min

Her Business of Sport -  Thayer Lavielle

Her Business of Sport - Thayer Lavielle

Thayer Lavielle says she is never afraid of a blank page, something she has proven over the last 6 years, by leading the development of The Collective, a women-focussed division of Wasserman, designed to bridge gaps in gender equity in sport and music through community, insights, events, tools and services. Since 2019, that "blank page" has grown to include The Collective Think Tank, The Goal Post and the Collective Marketplace. Thayer has negotiated over $250m worth of deals across talent, brand, property and venues and has extensive experience with leading female-focussed brands including L'Oreal and Lancome. The Collective are partners for the ISC Women's Sport Business Summit, at the National Gallery in London on September 25th 2025.

29 Aug 29min

The Business of Sport - Justin Papadakis

The Business of Sport - Justin Papadakis

A year out from the next FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, one man is leading the charge to create a sustainable platform for soccer in the USA. For over 50 years, American soccer has relied on importing players from around the world, mostly at the end of their careers, to play in stadiums designed for more popular American sports. Now though, a former college goalkeeper turned entrepreneur is trying to change all that. Justin Papadakis is the Chief Real Estate Officer and Deputy CEO of the USA's fastest growing pre-professional and professional soccer organisation, which is developing new talent and new stadia side by side. As young and home-grown players are secured to play in teams across the country, developers are being recruited to build stadia integral to new Real Estate Entertainment Districts, to sustain the growth of truly American soccer when the World Cup has moved on.

26 Aug 30min

The Business of Sport Steven Ball

The Business of Sport Steven Ball

Imagine being a student at one of the best sporting universities in your country. An opportunity to learn from the best and to play in the greatest facilities available. Well, for Steven Ball, that dream not only became a reality, but almost 30 years later, he is still there, as CEO of The High Performance Centre (hpc) at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. HPC is a partner organisation of the ISC, offering some of the best facilities for national teams, professional clubs, universities and colleges to enjoy over 72 hectares of training and recreational facilities.

21 Aug 27min

The Business of Sport - Paul Stewart and Ian Bishop

The Business of Sport - Paul Stewart and Ian Bishop

A new organisation has been formed to offer guidance, education and legal support to those working to protect children, young adults and the vulnerable in sport. The Union of Safeguarding Officers, with a Mission Statement of "Every Child Safe, Every Voice Heard", was formed by former Manchester City and Tottenham star Paul Stewart, who has spent almost a decade raising awareness of sexual abuse in sport, following his own harrowing experiences as a young footballer. Many ISC delegates at our event at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2024 witnessed Paul's story as he spoke about his mission to prevent what happened to him, ever happening again. Paul has enlisted the help of another ex-footballer Ian Bishop, who has over 20 year's experience of the youth system in the USA after a top-level career in England with Everton, Manchester City and West Ham United. Ian is General Secretary of USO, Paul is Chair of the Board. They hope the union will provide support to both professionals and volunteers, tasked with safeguarding at their clubs and associations.

25 Jul 28min

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