As recognized in the Project Play framework, Business & Industry plays an important role in building healthy children and communities through sports. Government provides most of the hardware — the parks, playgrounds, bike paths, swimming pools, courts, gyms and other recreation facilities where people play. Youth sports organizations and school programs layer on organized competition. But corporations — large and small — shape the environment through marketplace strategies, product innovation, storytelling, employee engagement, philanthropic support, and other methods.
It’s why the Aspen Institute created Project Play 2020, which last year was renamed Project Play 2024 to reflect a new, four-year commitment of leading national organizations pledging to work together in service of the above goal. Measurable progress in sports participation and related metrics among youth depend on the connecting of silos to develop mutually reinforcing actions, guided by the principles of Collective Impact theory. Under Armour was among the companies that was there at the start.
Now, business leadership has never been more needed, says Stacey Ullrich, Under Armour’s global head of philanthropy. In this Project Play 2024 member spotlight, she shares her insights and ideas with Tom Farrey, executive director of the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program. Below are excerpts of their conversation.
Tom: Let’s start with the big picture — the role that businesses and corporations play today in driving social progress. What does the latest research tell us about what the public wants?
Stacey: The latest 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer survey released in January showed that 86% of the respondents expect CEOs to publicly speak out on societal issues and challenges, including the impact of the pandemic and local community issues. The expectations of business have changed, and leadership needs to be involved in engaging in these conversations as well as investing in the solutions.
The study showed that business is not only the most trusted institution among the four industries studied, but also the only trusted institution at a global level, and the only one of the four (government, media and non-governmental organizations are the others measured) that was seen as both ethical and competent. This is a significant shift in what we’re hearing from consumers and their expectations of companies to address and solve the challenges our communities face.
Tom: Why do you think those numbers are so high compared to other institutions? What changed?
Stacey: I think that the lack of trust in other institutions like government or the misinformation that has been shared over the years, but also that consumers are more engaged and have more of a relationship with companies than they ever have before. We’ve gone from a transactional-based experience with companies to a journey, which creates more of a partnership resulting in consumers wanting to do business with the companies they know, that they trust and that have aligned values.
With that alignment comes this responsibility and expectation. Ultimately, I want to know that, by purchasing from you, we are doing something good together. I also think watching the role of companies throughout the pandemic over the last year and how they played such a significant role in supporting their employees and the community, it really demonstrates the power that sits within a company that isn’t anywhere else in any other institution.
Tom: How should we think about those results in the context of Project Play 2024 and its members?
Stacey: I think that now more than ever, companies have been given the permission to get more deeply involved, understanding not only what they can do on the ground, but also what policy reform needs to occur and how they can be involved in making those systemic changes. It’s a matter of using their influence and leverage to drive awareness and action that in the past they may have not participated in.
Tom: Action on which issues in particular?
Stacey: For Project Play 2024, we recognize there’s a crisis in play sites. This coalition came together to make sure that sports is equitable for all. There’s a lot of people who still don’t understand what is occurring within youth sports and where we’re headed if we don’t see sport reform. Consumers are inviting companies to actively get involved in encouraging policy reform at the government level, to promote the changes that are needed.
Tom: Under Armour isn’t starting from zero. The challenges that communities face aren’t new, either. You worked with us on the State of Play report for Baltimore, our very first community-based landscape. Many more of these reports have followed. How would you characterize the barriers and opportunities to play in places like Baltimore? And how have they changed during the pandemic?
Stacey: The journey with Project Play and the aspiration to build a model city for play is something that we continue to drive for or aspire to. With sports not occurring in many places around the world over the last year due to the pandemic, we are starting to experience a shift in the narrative as to why sports are special and needed and not just a “nice to have”. We’re seeing that the pandemic has only exacerbated those barriers and the eight keys to success have so much pressure on them. New vulnerabilities have been created. We realize we need to continue to make sure that the framework and structure are strong enough so as we unlock new partners and opportunities that things like a pandemic, or other challenges that can hit a city, don’t completely decimate the sport landscape.
The positive is that we’ve seen a concentrated effort to transform underutilized spaces into viable play areas because of the pandemic. We’ve also seen creative ways that people that traditionally haven’t partnered are now realizing the key to sustainable progress is partnership. My hope is that, as the world reopens, we take those learnings and continue to nurture and grow them so we can get to the point where sports are seen as part of the solution that moves cities forward in a powerful way.
Tom: Now you’re working in Oakland, another city of great need. What is Under Armour doing there?
Stacey: The Project Play report in Baltimore and the work we’ve done since allowed us to structure our partnership with the Baltimore Public School System and create an environment where all student-athletes could thrive. That has been informed by the work of Project Play 2024 as well. We put the conditions in place for success (with a program focused on facilities improvement, coach training, uniforms and apparel, and a student-athlete coalition in high schools).
In Oakland, in partnership with Stephen Curry, we launched the Change the Game for Good initiative, aligning our brands around a common purpose to ensure everyone has equal access to sports. Our work is with Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s foundation (Eat. Learn. Play.).
Ultimately, we believe that there are learnings each city (Baltimore and Oakland) can benefit from. It’s exciting to be on this journey on both coasts and unlock those opportunities. Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. When only 23% of kids from low-income households (play sports), we know that many parents are asking, “Do I pay for basic needs or for my kids to participate in sports?” We’re hoping that those kids no longer must face those hard decisions. The roadmap is there (Project Play’s framework) to make a thriving sport community. If everyone could follow the outline of what needs to occur, we redefine what winning means in sport, and if we see real commitments to policy changes at all levels, we will create an environment where all youth have access to sport.
Tom: What kind of leadership would you like to see from other sectors – government, schools, etc.?
Stacey: It comes down to partnership and a commitment to the destination. When we understand that sport isn’t in competition with other issue areas, it’s not an either-or but an and, we will create the conditions for success. That will be what changes the landscape. Instead of competing, we need to look for ways to support and enhance each other’s areas of focus — understand where our work fits in.
Tom: How do you see Project Play 2024 as helping to address these challenges?
Stacey: Members can support the Children’s Rights and Sport concept that Project Play is developing. We need to build an ecosystem that allows all youth to succeed, consistent with their human rights. The idea aligns so well with all our conversations about getting to the root of the problems that exist.
Giving people a framework of the behaviors that should be modeled is so important. Just look at what happened in Norway where a structure was put in place so that all children have access and opportunity and they make it fun. It’s rooted in strong fundamentals that then encourages ongoing participation. They’ve created an inverted triangle. In the U.S, we ask kids to start at the top, be an expert out of the gate and specialize and it’s all about winning. Norway said you might get to the top of the triangle, but for now we want you to have every opportunity to explore whatever makes you happy and have fun doing it. You can continue up the triangle if you want, but everyone at least gets this foundation.
This approach is in alignment with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals as well. We know that if you start in sport, you’re more likely to stay physically engaged and it impacts the whole life cycle. There are work and health outcomes that lead to a longer-lasting, productive life.
Tom: So, what do you think is possible four years down the road — if leaders rally?
Stacey: Anything! One thing 2020 reminded us of, is that when we all work together to get something done, anything is possible.
Learn more about Project Play and Project Play 2024.