Baylor Expert Roundup – 2024 Summer Olympics
From faith to fashion, brand moments to uniting behind Team USA, faculty experts weigh in on the 2024 Games
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The 2024 Summer Olympics will take place July 26 through Aug. 11 in Paris, so what can we expect to see from the world’s best athletes as they compete on the world’s biggest stage? What will be the big brand moments? How will athletes withstand the pressure? Will Americans set aside politics for a while and unite for Team USA? Is the opening ceremony a Fashion Olympics as well? Who are the Baylor athletes competing in this year’s Olympics?
Baylor University faculty experts across the disciplines share their perspectives, research and expertise as the Summer Games get underway.
Three Ways Major Brands Will Engage, Inspire and Entertain Olympics Viewers
The Olympics, much like the Super Bowl, is an opportunity for major brands to reach a global audience and show off their latest products. Advertising executive and multicultural media expert Tyrha M. Lindsey-Warren, Ph.D., clinical professor of marketing at Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business, shares what to look for from brands in between the Olympic competition.
Athletes’ Secure Attachment to God Beneficial for Mental Health, Self-Worth
Elite athletes, including Olympic athletes at the top of their sport, often drop to their knees in prayer before competition and after, whether following the thrill of victory… or the agony of defeat. But how does an athlete’s relationship with God affect their mental well-being, as well as their self-worth? A new Baylor University study investigates how the divine relationship, specifically attachment to God, affects the mental health of elite athletes at the collegiate level.
Sports and Fashion Shine at the 2024 Paris Olympics
From the team uniforms in the opening ceremonies to the competitive athletic wear, Lorynn Divita, Ph.D., associate professor of apparel design and merchandising at Baylor University, has focused her attention on how contemporary fashion designs meet high-performance athletic requirements on a global stage.
Can the Olympics Help Americans Forget Politics (at Least for 16 Days)?
Americans are divided on a multitude of different issues, but could the Olympic Games unite the country – at least for the duration of an Olympiad? Baylor University sports marketing and branding expert Kirk Wakefield, Ph.D., with the Curb Center for Sales Strategy in Sports and Entertainment (S3E) program, says yes, the Olympics can help bring people together even when it’s hard for them to agree about anything else.
When Sports and Christianity Took Center Stage at the Olympics
For many athletes, sports provide a place to develop their values, express their identities and share their faith with others. The Olympics have long been an important platform for Christians to do this work, said sports historian and author Paul Putz, Ph.D., director of the Faith & Sports Institute at Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary and author of the forthcoming book, The Spirit of the Game: American Christianity and Big-Time Sports.
Addressing Mental Health Challenges for Olympic and Elite Athletes
Baylor University researchers with Baylor IMPACT Research Lab - Houston have studied how strategies involving Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – an evidence-based approach that promotes skill development that reduces symptoms of anxiety, depression, substance use and other mental health struggles – may also enhance the performance of elite athletes at the collegiate, professional and Olympic levels.
Baylor’s history of Olympic excellence to continue in Paris
At least one Baylor Bear has brought home the gold in seven of the last eight Summer Olympics. Seven different Bears will look to extend that run this summer in Paris.
This Baylor professor is also a three-time Olympian
Baylor’s robust Olympic history isn’t limited to a celebrated list of student-athletes who have made their alma mater proud for more than a century. There’s also at least one Baylor professor who can claim to have competed as one of the world’s best. That’s Alex Yokochi, Ph.D., professor of mechanical engineering and associate dean of research and graduate programs, who represented his native Portugal in three consecutive Olympics — 1984 in Los Angeles, 1988 in Seoul, and 1992 in Barcelona.
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