Written by ASHLEY HUMPHREY
UNC Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham bleeds red, white, and Carolina blue.
As a member of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee Board of Directors, Cunningham is in Paris supporting Tar Heels and Team USA. He is the only collegiate representative on the committee and has advocated for college athletes since joining in 2023. Seventy-five percent of the Team USA roster have been or are college athletes.
“My role as a college athletic director is to ensure we have a pipeline of athletes to the Olympics,” Cunningham said during an interview in Paris. “Seventy percent of Olympians are either current or former student-athletes. As the landscape of college athletics changes, we want to make sure the connectivity between the Olympic movement and college sports remains really strong.”
Part of strengthening that connectivity is supporting the Olympic sports programs at Carolina. There are 15 current or former Tar Heels competing right now in Paris. In 2028, Tar Heel fans hope to see that list increase with Erin Matson, Katie Dixon, and others.
“Obviously, football and basketball drive the revenue for college athletics,” said Cunningham. “But our field hockey, our lacrosse, our soccer programs–just to name a few–are absolutely outstanding. To see those student-athletes competing on a national stage is a lot of fun and it reinforces the importance of Olympic sports at Carolina and around the country.”
The Carolina Athletics director is soaking in his first Olympics experience in the City of Light. After seeing the opening ceremony, Cunningham said he was in awe.
“To be in Paris, which is such a unique place — and obviously the opening ceremony on the Seine River — was absolutely fantastic,” he said. “So delighted to be a part of that. We got rained on the entire time, but what a beautiful event. Every single person had a different experience because as you went along the river, everyone saw a different phase of the opening ceremony.”
Carolina Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham participates in an interview with student reporters in Paris, France during the 2024 Olympics. (Photo via UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media.)
Cunningham says he’s looking forward to watching UNC athletes and Team USA compete. He shared there is a WhatsApp group chat of those UNC athletes to share updates and photos. When asked what it meant to be at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Cunningham said he was filled with gratitude for his role at UNC in helping him get there.
“When you think about the power of North Carolina, that’s what it does. I was the athletic director at Ball State University and Tulsa and now at the University of North Carolina. You don’t get that opportunity at every school — but North Carolina provides that opportunity for me.”
Cunningham shared his excitement for the 2028 Los Angeles and 2034 Salt Lake City Olympics.
“We’re really looking forward to 2028… Only three cities in the world will have hosted three games: London, Paris, and L.A.,” he said. “It’s great for NBC, it’s great for our country and really for the whole world to present the United States to the rest of the world. I give a lot of credit to NBC for re-energizing the Olympics. The Olympic spirit is something that needs to be reignited.”
A few days in the 2024 games, that spirit is alive and well in Paris.
Featured photo via AP Photo/Chris Seward.
The Chapel Hill Media Group is partnering with the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media to publish stories reported by students in Paris, France for the 2024 Olympic Games. Ashley Humphrey is one of 25 student journalists working under the direction of professor Charlie Tuggle, who are publishing their stories through a variety of North Carolina outlets.
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