Sports and Aviation Symposium

This symposium of ERAU faculty, staff, and students explores the roles of sports in aviation and seeks to provide an overview of the ways in which these two enormous sectors influence each other.

Sample topics include, but are not limited to:

• airline sponsorships of teams and venues
• aerospace physiology and the effects of flying on athletic performance
• long-distance travel for athletes and distinctive opportunities for aerospace engineering
• the contributions of the sport of air racing to airplane design and manufacture
• how air travel changed American sports
• plane crashes involving athletes or teams (e.g. Roberto Clemente or Marshall’s football team)
• physical fitness and the requirements of flying (including athletic programs at Riddle)
• from the Goodyear Blimp to drones: the impact on the fan experience
• sporting events as terrorist targets, aviation, and security
• the significance of aviation infrastructure on a city’s bidding for sporting events (such as the World Cup)
• sports-related jobs in airlines
• business strategies for the distinctive transportation needs of professional athletes
• and, most generally, how the needs of the multi-billion dollar world of sports shape aviation.

The theme of this year’s symposium is Developing the Field. Presentations will be part of a collegial effort to describe the contours and significance of this area of inquiry.

This inaugural gathering thus aspires to help provide research topics for faculty and career opportunities for students.

If you are interested in presenting or attending, contact David Keck (keckd2@erau.edu) for more information.