The Soundscape of Labor

Recording audio and video images during our fieldwork revealed dimensions of our teams work that written notes alone could never capture. Sound doesn't just document what happens. It immerses you in the atmosphere of facilities labor. The wind cutting across open fields, the hum of a golf cart engine, the clang of equipment being loaded, Jeremy's voice coordinating through phone calls; all these auditory add visual elements create a visceral sense of being there. While written fieldnotes can describe physical labor and movement, audio conveys the rhythm, pace, and embodied reality of work that structures Jeremy's day. What you're about to hear is the infrastructure of Duke Athletics: not polished, not glamorous, but essential.

The constant motion that structures Jeremy's day: driving between venues, loading and unloading, the rhythm of disposal work.

The embodied work of facilities management: lifting, carrying, disposing, the sweat that makes the day feel "well earned."

Weather shapes the sensory experience and difficulty of outdoor labor: Jeremy's preference for hot days where the work feels manageable and worthwhile. However, labor still happens in less than optimal weather conditions.

Duke Athletics spans 27 varsity sports across dozens of facilities, each with its own character, resources, and daily rhythms. These videos offer glimpses into the spaces the facilities operation crew navigates. 

The sounds and images captured here reveal what typically remains invisible in Duke Athletics: the labor, movement, and relationships that sustain every game, practice, and event. While fans and Duke students experience polished courts and pristine, decorated fields, our teams workday unfolds through constant motion, coordination calls, physical effort, and environmental conditions that shape each task. These recordings don't just document facilities work; they immerse you in its reality. The golf cart engine, the wind, the clanging equipment, the vast geography of athletic spaces all together, compose the infrastructure of Duke Athletics made audible and visible. What becomes clear is that maintaining these facilities requires more than technical knowledge or physical labor; it depends on the networks of trust, care, and genuine connection that Jeremy has built over years of showing up, checking in, and navigating the often-hidden spaces that make college athletics possible.