A Positive Model for Inclusive Diversity
Despite the unfortunate lack of fan diversity in sports stadiums, the sports universe has been making headway to solve this problem. Halfway across the world, there is a small German soccer team that you may have heard of, not for its achievements in fútbol, but for its achievements in creating a society.
A culture of inclusion at FC St. Pauli has led to major economic and cultural success for Hamburg, Germany. (Photo: http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com)
Averaging more than 28,000 spectators a game, a culture of inclusion has led to FC St. Pauli sellouts and stadium expansion in Hamburg, Germany. Although the club dropped to the third German division, it has a devoted fan base that prides itself on truly taking a stand against racism, homophobia and sexism. It welcomes every under-represented segment from the diverse culture to its fan base with open arms, including but not limited to straight, gay, smokers, bikers, poor, transsexuals, men, women, immigrants, tourists and all religious and political affiliations. This is distinctly different from what we see in most major college stadiums in North America where seat pricing has marginalized minority groups and the less fortunate. However, the fact that groups across the world are striving to promote more inclusive diversity by breaking down the barriers of segregation remains a good sign, raising a question of adaptability. Could the pro-diversity approach of FC St. Pauli apply to popular US stadiums and arenas?
The Broader Implication of Diverse Inclusivity
Although an answer cannot be formulated for the most popular stadiums, there has certainly been efforts to expand inclusive diversity in America. In particular, the Syracuse Chief’s team has been gaining momentum in erasing segregation boundaries. According to manager Jason Smorol, “From day one, we have been about inclusion. Exclusion makes no sense. We believe that our product is affordable, family fun and that is a universal concept” (SBJ). By realizing what minority groups desire and marketing sports as universal entertainment, Syracuse’s teams will hopefully draw an even larger range of fans in the future.
The broader implication of this revelation is that working hard to improve and evolve the sports environment does not just rely on producing better athletes or creating bigger stadiums. Instead, the goal for many sports organizations should be to open their doors a little wider and advertise and target a diverse range of people.
In fact, it seems like even Dartmouth College may be moving closer to the goal of inclusive diversity on public campus spaces. In a recent article by the Office of Communications, Dartmouth advances its goal for prioritzing diversity and inclusivity, using strategies such as financial tuition manipulation and improvement of endowment distribution to major organizations (such as sports, academics, fine arts). Even President Phil Hanlon ’77 realizes that diversity and inclusivity come as a package, recognizing the two as one “core value”. He advocates that “collaborating and living with people whose perspectives and experiences differ from our own is a critical learning opportunity” (Dartmouth Now)
Because it’s not just good for business. It’s good for society too.