Texas Tech University

Sport Management Research

Matt Huml, Ph.D.

My research interests focus on the academic experience of the student-athletes. Specific sub-topics include: (1) performing community engagement, (2) interactions with university academic personnel, (3) the balance of time commitment within intercollegiate athletics and academics, and (4) the interaction between intercollegiate athletics and student-athletes choosing an academic major and intended career path.  

Angela Lumpkin, Ph.D.

My research interests and publication record are multi-dimensional and reflective of the variety of my career. Specifically, I conduct research and publish in the areas of sport ethics, leadership, intercollegiate athletics, women in sport, and teaching effectiveness. Recent and on-going research projects range from the academic performance of high school students to the ethical conundrum of intercollegiate athletics to values-based leadership in intercollegiate athletics to examining the career paths of athletic administrators and athletic directors in intercollegiate athletics. Given my commitment to the infusion of active learning strategies leading to greater student learning, recent and on-going research projects have included student perceptions of active learning, student-centered learning activities, and use of class time to increase student engagement.

Christopher M. McLeod, Ph.D.

I study sport at the intersection of ecology, economics, and politics. I hope to assist scholars, practitioners, students, and citizens in organizing sport so that it is sustainable, equitable, and just. Currently, I am using interdisciplinary theories and methods from ecological economics, economic sociology, political economy, and cultural studies to develop policy for a steady state sport economy, to measure the precarity of work in sport events, and to understand how new sport organizations conceive of and create markets. I am also interested in ontology and speculative realism, being particularly fond of Object-Oriented Ontology and Actor-Network Theory.

N. David Pifer, Ph.D.

My research focuses broadly on financial and economic aspects of sport, but more specifically on sports analytics and how individuals and organizations can use data and statistical techniques to make more informed decisions. Specific applications related to this field include: (1) player and team performance evaluation, (2) payroll management, (3) hiring and firing decisions, (4) fantasy sports, and (5) sports gambling. As such, my research touches upon all of these areas within professional and upper-level collegiate sport. On occasion I will also examine elements of marketing strategy and whether or not certain projects and campaigns lead to adequate returns on investments.

Student Research

The Sport Management program at Texas Tech supports student research endeavors encourages student involvement in faculty research projects. Our students have presented research at various national conferences and have completed research projects that are either published or in review for publication. Further, our students have represented the program in various case competitions at national conferences. Students who are interested in research involvement should consult faculty members who have similar research interests.

Department of Kinesiology & Sport Management

  • Address

    Box 43011, Texas Tech University, 2500 Broadway, Lubbock, TX 79409
  • Phone

    806.742.3371