Instructor Maame De-Heer led a discussion with students in a Brock Sport Management class on the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul boxing match, analyzing the event through the lens of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility. A heavyweight boxing match between former world champion Mike Tyson and social media star Jake Paul, livestreamed by Netflix and attended by more than 70,000 fans at AT&T Stadium, has become the focus of an innovative classroom case study at Brock University.
Maame De-Heer, a lecturer at Brock specializing in equity and health, used the headline-making bout to engage her students in critical discussions about inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA) in professional sports and beyond.
The match, which saw Paul defeat Tyson by unanimous decision, was notable not only for its improbable matchup — Tyson, returning to the ring at age 58 after nearly two decades, against the 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer — but also for the financial windfall for both athletes. Paul earned $40 million, while Tyson took home $20 million.
“Sport often mirrors society’s inequities,” De-Heer told her class of fourth-year Medical Sciences and Health Sciences students. “From access to opportunities to representation, events like this can reveal systemic issues that extend far beyond the ring.”
In the classroom discussion, students explored how these inequities manifest in various sectors, including health care, by drawing parallels between boxing and broader societal structures.
“Being aware of those lack of opportunities should be something we carry forward in our fields,” said fourth-year Medical Sciences student Vera Odajiri.
Students linked the discussion of equity and privilege to health-care representation and explored ways providers can better understand social determinants of health and apply IDEA principles in their work.
“Recognizing the invisible social identities people carry is crucial,” said Danika Dalgleish, a fourth-year Medical Sciences student, of the disparities seen in both sports and health care.
As part of the case study, De-Heer challenged her class to consider how lessons from their examination of the current event could inform how medical practitioners deliver health care, such as by exercising empathy with patients and combating stereotypes.
“What are the takeaway messages from this fight that can inform how we deliver care?” she said. “When we connect sports to broader social systems, we can challenge inequities and build a more inclusive society. That’s a lesson that resonates far beyond the classroom.”
