About the Center

The interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Sports in Society, established in 2016, leverages the expertise of dozens of Penn State faculty with academic and research interests in sports who are housed in academic units across the University. The center’s structure encourages collaboration, allowing experts to work more effectively across disciplines on cutting-edge issues.

Stephen Ross (Executive Director)

“Our ambitious goal is to do for sports what Penn State did for agriculture in the 19th century,” law professor and executive director of the Center for the Study of Sports in Society Stephen Ross said. “We hope that research combined with industry interaction will provide useful insights for sports officials and policymakers while providing great academic opportunities for our students. Students will immediately benefit from the center’s programming, engage in supervised research and take additional academically rigorous courses studying important issues related to sport.”

The center is charged with supporting research, teaching, public programs and service across Penn State related to the study of sport and its cultural, economic and social impact. The center hopes to bring academic and sports officials together on topics ranging from changes in football rules and protocols to improve safety. to the disparity of opportunity for competitive youth sports in underprivileged and communities of color.

Executive Committee

  • Stephen Ross, Penn State Law, Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Sports in Society
  • Mark Dyreson, Department of Kinesiology, Center for the Study of Sports in Society Director for Programs and Research
  • Daniel Beaver, Associate Professor of History / College of the Liberal Arts
  • Philip J. Bosha, Assistant Professor of Medicine / Penn State Hershey
  • Michael Cross, Assistant Athletic Director / Penn State Athletics
  • Peter Hopsicker, Head, Division of Education, Human Development and Society Sciences / Penn State Altoona
  • Reuben Kraft, Associate Professor Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
  • Prasenjit Mitra, Professor of Information Sciences & Technology
  • Michael Poorman, Director of Alumni Relations / Bellisario College of Communications
  • John Powell, Director of Sports Business Programs / Smeal College of Business
  • Michelle Sikes, Assistant Professor in Kinesiology and African Studies
  • Andrew Wiesner, Lecturer in Statistics / Eberly College of Science

Involved Faculty

  • John Affleck, Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society / John Curley Center for Sports Journalism
  • Doug Allen, Retired Professor of Practice, School of Labor and Employment Relations
  • Michael Bérubé, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Literature and Director of the Institute for the Arts and Humanities
  • Mark Brennan, Professor and UNESCO Chair in Community, Leadership, and Youth Development
  • Linda Caldwell, Professor Emerita in Recreation, Park and Tourism Management and Faculty Athletic Representative
  • John Cheslock, Professor in Educational Policy Studies
  • Amira Rose Davis, Assistant Professor of History and African American Studies
  • Wayne DeSarbo, Smeal Chair in Marketing Emeritus / Smeal College of Business
  • Colleen English, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology, Penn State Berks
  • Andrew Friesen, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology
  • Zack Furness, Associate Professor of Communications, Penn State Greater Allegheny
  • Debra Hawhee, Professor of English
  • Paul Hefty, Instructor in Kinesiology
  • Ty Hollett, Assistant Professor of Education Learning, Design and Technology
  • R. Scott Kretchmar, Professor in Kinesiology — sports philosophy & ethics, former NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative
  • Javier Lopez Frias, Assistant Professor in Kinesiology and the Rock Ethics Institute
  • Peter Newman, Professor and Department Head of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management
  • John Nichols, Professor Emeritus in Communication and National Co-Chair of the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics
  • Cayce A. Onks, Primary Care Sports Medicine, Hershey Medical Center
  • Katie O’Toole | Lecturer and Instructor in Journalism
  • Russell Rose, Instructor in Kinesiology and Head Volleyball Coach
  • Daniel Russell, Professor of Acoustics
  • Jaime Schultz, Professor in Kinesiology (sports history)
  • Jack Selzer, Paterno Family Liberal Arts Professor of Literature
  • Geoffrey Scott, Professor of Law
  • Zachary Smith, Assistant Teaching Professor of Kinesiology, Penn State Harrisburg
  • Christopher Tounsel, Assistant Professor of History and African Studies
  • Nancy Williams, Professor and Head of the Department of Kinesiology / College of Health and Human Development
  • J. Randall Woolridge, Professor of Finance and Goldman Sachs and Co. and Frank P. Smeal Endowed University Fellow
Skip to toolbar