Research

I conduct research focused specifically on the areas of communication and marketing within the sport industry. My research examines the utilisation of new media by sport organisations and athletes, with a specific focus on underrepresented groups and Olympic sport. This includes research strands in branding, consumer behaviour, marketing communication strategy, user experience and engagement, and safeguarding in online spaces. I utilise a wide variety of qualitative and quantitative methods, such as in-depth interviews, focus groups, qualitative document analysis, surveys, questionnaires, and quantitative content analysis. Additionally, I conduct research on the media portrayals of athletes based on gender, race, and nationality.

I completed my doctoral degree at Indiana University in Human Performance (focus on Sport Management) with a secondary specialisation in Mass Communication. My dissertation, “Investigating agenda-setting and framing in sport magazines: An analysis of the coverage of Major League Baseball players from 2000 through 2007,” involved a quantitative and qualitative methodology examining the agenda setting and framing functions in media portrayals of Major League Baseball (MLB) players based on race and nationality. The study examined feature story articles from 2000 to 2007 in two popular U.S. sport magazines, Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine. A preview of the full text can be found on Google Books.

Since completing my Ph.D., I have published numerous studies, and in 2015 I was honoured to be named a North American Society of Sport Management (NASSM) Research Fellow, recognising my research contributions to the field of sport management. Approximately 5% of all sport management researchers have received this award. In 2023 I was the inaugural recipient of the NASSM Distinguished Research Award, recognising my extraordinary scientific contributions to sport management.

In 2016 I co-authored a book titled Strategic Sport Communication, 2nd edition. Working with my co-authors, Drs. Paul M. Pedersen, Pamela Laucella, and Ted Kian, was a fantastic experience. We updated the book in 2020, publishing the third edition of it, and in 2024 the fourth edition will be published. The book is now being used in sport management and sport communication classrooms throughout the world. In 2019 I co-edited the book The Routledge Handbook of the Business of Women’s Sport along with my colleague Dr. Nancy Lough, which was the first-ever handbook focused specifically on the business of women’s sport. In 2023 I was brought onto the authorship team for the textbook Introduction to Sport Marketing along with co-authors Aaron C.T. Smith, Con Stavros, James Skinner, and Lauren Burch. The third edition of the book will be published in 2024.

Please visit my Publications and Presentations pages for more information on my research and links to my full-text research articles.