Global Sports Seminar: "Sports, Politics, and Culture: A New Way to Understand the Power of Attention"

"Sport's Real Game: How Public Attention Influences Governments and Means More than Making Money"

Layne Vandenberg, Advisor to the FIFA 2026 World Cup Host City of Boston; Political Economist, Lau China Institute, King's College London.

Dr. Layne Vandenberg is a Political Economist affiliated with the Lau China Institute at King's College London. Her research explores conflict and cooperation between states and international organizations, with a particular focus on political behavior and compliance in global sports governance. This has led her to investigate policy and politics around the FIFA World Cup, the Olympic Games, and sport-related regulations and reform in national contexts. Dr. Vandenberg's interdisciplinary academic background spanning International Political Economy, International Relations, and History emanates from her PhD in Political Economy from the King’s College London and University of Hong Kong Joint PhD Programme; her LLM in International Relations from Peking University, where she was a Yenching Scholar; her Fulbright Research Fellowship in Brazil; and her BA in International Studies from the University of Michigan. Dr. Vandenberg has significant experience in the sports governance sector, having worked with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the U.S. Soccer Federation, alongside her current role as an Advisor to the FIFA 2026 World Cup Host City of Boston.