There are 26,000 neighborhoods in the United States. In each one, there is a chance to win at the World Cup – by using the power of sport to drive a healthy present and a hopeful future in our sporting society. It all begins with the leaders and the resources found in sport. Mel is the only former global sports executive in the world to come clean on the corruption in global sport governance, spending two-and-a-half decades working to hold people and organizations accountable, and, ultimately, to offer up an alternative vision for sport in the USA and around the world. This talk will share heretofore never seen documents and rarely revealed insights to dive into the frameworks, facts, fictions, and fun surrounding the biggest sports experiences of our time, and how they can and must be used as “forcing functions” for good in sport and in society. Importantly, that all begins at the neighborhood level. Mel Brennan has led women and men for thirty-four years. From confidential investigation to FIFA World Cup execution to university teaching to municipal recreation/camps leadership to for-profit location-based entertainment, court compliance, and fifteen years in the C-Suite of local and global nonprofits, Mel brings local-to-global experience from across multiple business sectors to bear in the forging of insights and solutions. Mel is a 1996 graduate of Western Maryland College and began his professional career with The City of New York as a Confidential Investigator with the Civilian Complaint Review Board, then spent time in general management for for-profit endeavors like Sega GameWorks, WWFE and the Walt Disney Company, where he focused of games, attractions, and restaurant development. A transition to global sport governance saw Mel lead teams, students, and project development at FIFA, CONCACAF, and the University of Stirling (Scotland, UK). Mel returned to the USA in 2005 to teach at Towson University and curate the first TEDTalk in Baltimore City, TEDxBaltimore. While abroad Mel pursued a PhD (ABD) focusing on sport and human rights while attending and teaching at the University of Stirling. Mel remains a global thought leader on sport governance, corruption, transparency solutions, and protections for the most vulnerable, with specials on Netflix and BBC Panorama, German public television, and Sky Sports News, as well as radio interviews with outlets from NPR to Australian and Canadian public radio. He is the co-author of Sport, Revolution and the Beijing Olympics, with Grant Jarvie and Tony Hwang, and is currently finishing Fixing Football (or Saving Soccer), about the work of forging great sport governance as the FIFA World Cup approaches our shores in 2026.
The U.S. men's national soccer team is 8-19-6 (W-L-D) across 33 all-time World Cup matches. Your obviousnessness is ignoring that we aren't very good except for Capt. America and Gio who is still looking for a team to play for! Where's Freddy?
Great presentation and thank you for showing there are still pockets of civic minded sporting culture here in the beleaguered US. In my hood, it's LVR soccer club that plays in the Seattle Youth Soccer Association rec league. I coached for 6 years and families could play for about $100 a season (spring and fall).
NYC is trying to improve it's school programs, which are free to play. If you want your kids to play for a youth club you can do for as little as $100. Many wealthier parents still choose to pay $thousands because they can and there's always the issue that soccer isn't a "cool" sport.
1. ICE arrests 47 teams and their entourages 2. Gianni Infantino hands the World Cup trophy straight to Trump