13. Why Should Sport Embrace Complexity?

Just like the economy, the weather, or traffic, sport is deeply complex. And we don't just mean that it has lots of elements or that it's difficult to understand, we're talking specifically about what's called a complex system – have a listen to our mini episode on this topic for a bit of a primer! When you're dealing with a complex system, you've got a whole lotta moving parts, interacting with each other and their environments in unpredictable ways, and there isn't a clear and simple relationship between what one individual element does and what the system as a whole will do. It takes a special approach to tackle complex problems, so how and why should we embrace complex systems thinking in sport?

Today, host Professor Sam Robertson speaks to friends, colleagues and experts Professor Paul Salmon and Dr Scott McLean. And this time, they're all chatting together at once!

Paul is the Director of the Centre for Human Factors and Sociotechnical Systems at the University of the Sunshine Coast, where Scott is a Research Fellow right alongside him, leading the Centre's work on sport and outdoor recreation. Together these complex systems thinkers investigate complexity's rise in sport, the tools we can use to leverage it, and the risks of passing it up.

What do you think? Tell us on our socials:
- Instagram: @track.vu
- Twitter: @trackvu

Subscribe to the Track newsletter for a regular dose of sport's science insights from our team of leading researchers and further reading for every episode topic. Learn more and see full episode transcript at trackvu.com/podcast