Get Active 2023: No sports isn’t the name of the game

Part I: What is the issue?

Despite having the NBA’s Pelicans and the NFL’s Saints, Tulane Green Wave football won the cotton bowl, New Orleans has struggled to establish a thriving sports culture. New Orleans has a population of just over 390,000 people. They cannot host major sporting events like the Olympics or key national championships, which can be quite profitable for the host towns. Many households in New Orleans struggle to make ends meet due to the high percentage of poverty. Because of the high cost and frequent need for major public support, there has been little investment in sports infrastructure and facilities. Despite having faced Hurricane Katrina, sports infrastructures that are still in existence in New Orleans include the Superdome, smoothie center, and Tulane Yulman stadium.

In comparison to Seattle, which holds 26 sports facility arenas. The city of Seattle itself has many sports infrastructures including the Climate Pledge Arena, Lumen Field, T-Mobile Park, Memorial Stadium, Husky Stadium, Championship Field Stadium, Kingdome, Husky Ballpark, RedhawkCenter, Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, accesso ShoWare Center, Renton Memorial Stadium, Seattle Ice Arena, Denny Field, Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center, Mercer Arena, Husky Softball Stadium, Bannerwood Park, French Field, Pop Keeney Stadium, Virginia Mason Athletic Center, Tacoma Dome, Historic Site of Sick’s Stadium, Angel of the Winds Arena, Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome, and the Dugdale Field.

The host city of the Olympic games is chosen seven years in advance before the Olympic games take place. Cities submit competitive proposals to the International Olympic Committee every two years for the opportunity to host the Olympic Games. The cities whose bids are accepted to be considered for the selection are then subjected to a demanding ten-month audit to determine whether they are qualified to host an international athletic event.

Some of the things that the International Olympic Committee looks out for include a city’s ability to accommodate a large number of tourists, journalists, and athletes who will be jetting in for the games. Ample accommodation is a requirement that the International Olympic Committee never compromises on. The city also has to have an efficient transport infrastructure that is organized to avoid delays since all Olympic events follow a strict schedule. There also has to be ample security as any danger to the athletes may disrupt the games. The host city has to have all the venues necessary for all the sporting disciplines, and these venues have to be of high standards. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/how-is-an-olympic-host-city-chosen.html

Tulane Football

The International Olympic Committee and the potential host, along with that host’s National Olympic Committee, work closely together to investigate every area of the proposed Games’ vision and plan, which determines the election of the city to host the Olympic game. The National Olympic Committee of any city or area that is interested in hosting the Olympic Games should be contacted first to obtain their official endorsement. The National Olympic Committee then gets in touch with the International Olympic Committee, which offers assistance and guidance right away. https://olympics.com/ioc/faq/electing-olympic-hosts

The National Olympic Committeemay write an official letter to the International Olympic Committee to enter Continuous Dialogue as an Interested Party if it decides to move the idea forward. Each National Olympic Committee is limited to supporting a single official initiative involving its nation. There may be one or more cities or regions involved in this project.

New Orleans continues to lead the nation with the highest official poverty rate among the 50 largest metro areas in 2017, according to Census data released in September 2018. This particular indicator is important because poverty creates barriers to access including health services, healthy food, and other necessities.
Why is it an issue and Why is it specifically an issue in New Orleans?

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Louisiana bringing 11,260 deaths in New Orleans in total. Approximately 45% of the Louisiana population is within a thirty-minute drive time to the Population Health Cohort sites.
All heart diseases are cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular diseases are conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels. The cardiovascular system delivers oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and other important substances to cells and organs in the body. It plays an important role in helping the body meet the demands of activity, exercise, and stress.
A healthy person’s blood always follows the same route through a person’s heart. Valves along the route make sure the blood is going the right way. Some blood vessels bring blood to the heart, while other arteries carry blood away from the heart. Meanwhile, blood vessels also take away waste like carbon dioxide from the cells. https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/heart-and-blood-vessels/conditions/cardiovascular-disease#:~:text=Cardiovascular%20disease%20(CVD)%20is%20a,artery%20hardening%20and%20narrowing%20(atherosclerosis)

On the contrary, an unhealthy person’s cardiovascular can often be caused and associated with damage to arteries in organs such as the brain, heart, kidneys, and eyes. There are four main types of Cardiovascular disease, which includes: coronary heart disease- which occurs when a person’s heart muscle’s blood supply is blocked or interrupted by a build-up of fatty substances in the coronary arteries; Stroke- which happens when a person’s blood flow is restricted or stopped, brain cells will begin to die. This can lead to brain damage and possibly death; Peripheral arterial disease- occurs when there is a blockage in the arteries to a person’s legs when both thighs, hips, or calves experience constant cramps, dull pain, or a sensation of heaviness in the muscles; And aortic disease- which is where the wall of the aorta becomes weakened and bulges outwards. You will usually experience pain in your chest, back, or abdomen. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cardiovascular-disease/#:~:text=This%20puts%20an%20increased%20strain,blood%20around%20the%20body%20properly

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease. However, exercise works like beta-blocker medication to slow the heart rate and lower blood pressure. Exercising in sports helps to control or modify any of the risk factors for heart disease and brings out many positive effects on heart health, including lowering blood pressure, lessening the risk of developing diabetes, maintaining a healthy body weight, and reducing inflammation throughout the body.


After an average of a five-year follow-up, there were 3,617 cases of a cardiovascular disease diagnosed in study participants. The researchers found that as the amount of moderate and vigorous physical activity among participants increased, the incidence of heart disease decreased. What’s more, there was no point where the effects of increased physical activity stopped improving heart health. Specifically, those in the top 25 percent of all physical activity (both moderate and vigorous-intensity), had an average reduction in risk of heart disease between 48 and 57 percent. Those who were most active in the top quarter of vigorous-intensity exercise had an average reduction between 54 and 63 percent. https://www.everydayhealth.com/heart-health/no-limit-to-benefits-of-exercise-for-heart-health-study-finds/#:~:text=Specifically%2C%20those%20in%20the%20top,between%2054%20and%2063%20percent.


Part II: Solution

Eileen Gu is a Freestyle skier athlete, she has a net worth of around $32 Million in 2023. Gu won the gold medal in the big air and halfpipe, the silver medal in slopestyle, and the bronze in slopestyle at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, making her the youngest Olympic winner in freestyle skiing at the age of 18. She is the first freestyle skier in the history of the Winter Olympics to take home three medals.

Not only a student at Stanford who scored 1580 out of 1600 on her SAT, and an Olympic champion herself, Eileen also models for some of the most luxurious brands and currently holds 1.7M followers on Instagram.

Gu endorsed 16 brands in 2021, and the following year she expanded her endorsement deals by seven additional names from the States and China combined. This is evidence of her quickly escalating popularity even before the Olympics started.

She works as a model for some of the top cosmetics, jewelry, and fashion companies in the world, such as Estée Lauder, Louis Vuitton, Victoria’s Secret, and Tiffany & Co. Gu is also the spokesperson for well-known companies in China such as China Mobile, Anta, Bank of China, and JD.com.

Gu routinely posts about her modeling activities on Instagram, where she currently has 1.7 million followers, approximately five times as many as she did in January 2022.

Growing up, Eileen lived in San Francisco and she enrolled in ski lessons at Lake Tahoe and adopted her training there her entire life.

Gu began learning to ski when she was three, and by the time she was eight, she had begun doing flips, spins, and slides. At the age of nine, she was champion at the USA Snowboard and Freeski Junior Association. Having racked up several wins, she went professional at the age of 16.

Since the age of 8, Eileen has started to participate in competitions all over the world. The tournament’s entry fees cost up to $20-$30 per day for age groups 10 yrs old and above. While the typical freestyle training fee for an individual can cost up to $130- $360 per hour depending on the type of lessons one chooses to take.

Eileen’s mother Gu Yan not only took her to Beijing for intensive study as a young girl and spent 8 hours driving her to skiing fields every weekend. Often, Eileen’s mother would give Eileen a daily schedule and rules to follow, such as sleeping every day for 10 hours is a must for Eileen because it keeps her productive throughout the day and can maintain her best performance.

It was January 2019, in fourth place behind two American teammates, the 15-year-old California schoolgirl Eileen needed a dazzling finish to move closer to the goal she’d promised herself – and her mother – competing in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

In a blur of black and red, Gu sped down the slope. After her final jump – two and a half turns in mid-air to a perfect backward landing – the pix

els on the leaderboard rearranged and Gu’s name suddenly appeared in the first place, next to the American flag. “It’s unreal!” she screamed. On the podium, sporting her first World Cup gold medal.

Behind her impressive track record, is the cliché but true sentiment every successful athlete knows by heart – work hard, work hard, work hard. Gu learned to sleep, do homework, change in and out of clothes, and even eat on car rides to and from home and Lake Tahoe, where the skier trains. During the global pandemic, because she was unable to train with her coach, Gu picked up running and insisted on doing weight exercises at home. (https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3166951/one-secret-eileen-gus-winter-olympic-success-we-can-all-take-board)

Part III: Implementation 

The NORD district or New Orleans Recreation Development Commission in New Orleans is a nonprofit organization that raises funds to support the activities of the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission. New Orleans has always been invested in recreation The people of New Orleans voted to approve the creation of the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission Foundation in 2010 to help strengthen the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission. Individual and corporate donors may restrict their gift to a specific playground or program, or give funds to support the NORD district’s priority needs, such as athletic equipment and outfitting new recreation centers. Its mission statement includes advancing the physical, mental, and social well-being of New Orleanians by providing safe and welcoming environments for recreational, athletic, and cultural experiences. The New Orleans Recreation Development Commission Foundation facilitates investment in Orleans Parish public recreation. Every day the community finds strength through sports. https://nordfoundation.org/

The NORD district of New Orleans, which offers a variety of sports activities and facilities for individuals of all ages and abilities, embraces the sports culture. Through its youth sports programs, which cover basketball, soccer, football, baseball, softball, and other sports, the NORD district promotes sports culture. These initiatives offer local kids the chance to develop new skills, collaboration, and leadership qualities, and maintain an active lifestyle.

In addition, the NORD district provides a range of adult sports programs, including basketball, volleyball, flag football, and tennis, enabling people in the neighborhood to maintain an active lifestyle and be involved in sports culture.

The NORD district also manages and operates alarge number of parks and recreation areas around the district, including courts, sports fields, and playgrounds. These facilities give local residents a convenient location where they can participate in sports culture and exercise in a safe environment.

To further develop sports culture and increase participation in sports activities, NORD works with nearby schools, community organizations, and sports teams. For instance, NORD collaborates with the NFL team the New Orleans Saints to conduct clinics and events that teach youths how to play football and encourage them to be physically active.

The NORD district has embraced the sports culture in New Orleans city as evidenced by its dedication to offering sports programs and facilities for individuals of all ages and abilities. https://volunteer.handsonneworleans.org/agency/detail/?agency_id=110264 https://nordc.org/home/

In echoing with the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission, there is also a list of High Schools with great sports programs to attend in the New Orleans Area including Mount Carmel Academy, John Curtis Curtis School, St. Paul School, The Dunham School, Lakeshore High School, Brother Martin Highschool, Destrehan Highschool, Academy of the Sacred Heart, Salmen High school, Archbishop Rummel High School, and St. Scholastica Academy.

Offering a wide choice of athletic programs, from football and basketball to track and field, soccer, baseball, and volleyball, is one way New Orleans high school programs embrace sports culture. These teams have a lengthy history of success at the high school level and are well-liked in the city.

The facilities used by these high school programs in New Orleans also promote sports culture. Modern athletic facilities including stadiums, gyms, and weight rooms are common at high schools, giving pupils what they need to practice and compete at a high level.

These high schools also routinely hold neighborhood gatherings and sporting events, which strengthens ties between the institution and the neighborhood. This can include regular basketball competitions, football games, or other sporting events that unite the neighborhood while showcasing the pupils’ abilities.

In general, New Orleans high schools value sports culture and seek to give their students the chance to participate in and succeed in athletic endeavors. They do this to foster a sense of pride and unity among the students and the community at large. https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-high-schools-for-sports/m/new-orleans-metro-area/