Derek Silva is a Full Professor in the Department of Sociology at King’s University College at Western University and an Affiliated Research Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University. His research critically interrogates the intersections of power, harm, and sport, with a particular focus on the cultural, political, and institutional forces that structure contemporary athletics and leisure.

He is the co-author, alongside Nathan Kalman-Lamb, of The End of College Football: On the Human Cost of an All-American Game (UNC Press, 2024), which examines the exploitative foundations and human toll of America’s most celebrated amateur sport.

In addition to his academic work, Dr. Silva is an active public writer and podcaster. His writing has been widely published in outlets including TIME Magazine, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Daily Beast, Sportico, Jacobin, and The Baffler. He is also co-founder, co-host, and producer of The End of Sport a critical platform exploring the harms and inequalities embedded in sport and physical culture. The show is available on all major podcast platforms.

Dr. Silva is currently leading three major research projects funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). These projects explore: why athletes continue to participate in violent sports despite significant risks to their physical and mental health; how recreation and leisure spaces were policed during the COVID-19 pandemic; and the racialized implications of radicalization discourses in Canada and beyond.

Beyond his scholarly and public work, Dr. Silva serves as Chair of the King’s University College Faculty Association (KUCFA), where he advocates for the rights, working conditions, and academic freedoms of faculty members.

Through his research, public engagement, and union leadership, Dr. Silva seeks to challenge dominant narratives in sport, security, and social policy, while contributing to critical conversations on harm, justice, and the politics of everyday life.