Webinar Introduction
If you enjoy football, international culture, or great storytelling, this event is for you.
Join Dr. Welch Suggs—sports journalist, author, and Associate Director of the Carmical Sports Media Institute at the University of Georgia—for a behind-the-scenes conversation about Atlanta's role in FIFA World Cup 2026.
Discover:
how one American city welcomed the world,
how local soccer culture came together with international fans, and
how diaspora communities helped create a truly global celebration.
Learn what it takes to cover an event watched by billions, how sports journalists find stories beyond the final score, and why the media plays such an important role in shaping our experience of global sporting events.
The discussion will also explore how youth sports have become the foundation of American professional athletics—and how the World Cup is helping inspire the next generation of players across the United States.
Come behind the headlines and experience the World Cup through the eyes of a journalist.
About the Speaker
Dr. David Welch Suggs, Jr. is associate director of the Carmical Sports Media Institute and an associate professor of journalism at the University of Georgia. Suggs reported for the Kansas City Star, Dallas Business Journal, Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal and The Chronicle of Higher Education, authored a book about college sports, and has made numerous appearances on television and radio. His research interests include the intersection of education, media, policy, and sport, with a particular focus on college sports and women's sports.