Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This Why We Play roundtable brought together athletes, artists, and cultural leaders inside the Rose Bowl Stadium locker room for a candid conversation on Freedom. Guided by co-moderators Tom Farrey and Britt Salvesen, the group explored how sport can both expand and restrict freedom, shaping who gets to participate, how they show up, and what expression is allowed or celebrated.
Across the conversation, participants reflected on freedom as something deeply personal and deeply structural. Sport offers moments of liberation through movement, creativity, and self-expression, yet it also operates within systems that can limit access, reinforce norms, or exclude certain identities. From reclaiming space and voice, to challenging expectations and redefining what sport can look like, the discussion surfaced a central tension: sport is not inherently freeing, but it holds the potential to become a powerful site for freedom when shaped with intention.
Learn more about Why We Play: aspeninstitute.org/programs/sports-and-society/why-we-play
This Why We Play roundtable brought together athletes, artists, and cultural leaders inside the Rose Bowl Stadium locker room for a candid conversation on Freedom. Guided by co-moderators Tom Farrey and Britt Salvesen, the group explored how sport can both expand and restrict freedom, shaping who gets to participate, how they show up, and what expression is allowed or celebrated.
Across the conversation, participants reflected on freedom as something deeply personal and deeply structural. Sport offers moments of liberation through movement, creativity, and self-expression, yet it also operates within systems that can limit access, reinforce norms, or exclude certain identities. From reclaiming space and voice, to challenging expectations and redefining what sport can look like, the discussion surfaced a central tension: sport is not inherently freeing, but it holds the potential to become a powerful site for freedom when shaped with intention.
Learn more about Why We Play: aspeninstitute.org/programs/sports-and-society/why-we-play
