Sports have long been a stage for cultural exchange. A panel discussion Wednesday at the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center will explore the ways sports have fostered cultural understanding in Kansas City in the past — and how that dynamic continues today as the city prepares to host World Cup matches in 2026.
To Diego Gutierrez, the Sports Management program coordinator at Rockhurst University and a former player on the U.S. men's national soccer team, access and intentionality are key to making sports a true equalizer.
"I've seen it played out firsthand... the intercultural awareness and the development of those relationships in a healthy way and the results that it can provide," Gutierrez said. "It's truly transforming."
Gutierrez, along with Dr. Gene Chavez and Adam Lewis, will speak Wednesday as a part of the International Relations Council's Global Goals series.
- Dr. Gene Chavez, Historian in Residence at the Kansas City Museum
- Adam Lewis, Executive Fellow on Human Rights and Sustainability for KC2026
- Dr. Diego Gutierrez, Sports Management program coordinator at Rockhurst University and former player on the U.S. men’s national soccer team
