Dr. Marlene Dixon Talks Sport & Life Quality at Sport Management Research Seminar Day

The McCormack Department of Sport Management hosted its annual PhD Research Seminar Day on Friday, April 21, 2017. This event is an opportunity to hear PhD candidate research presentations, discuss the state of research within the industry and meet with renowned industry researchers. Dr. Marlene A. Dixon, Professor in Sport Management in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at Texas A&M University was this year’s keynote speaker. 

Dixon focuses on answering the overarching question: how can we design sport to improve life quality? The accomplished researcher warned against the tendency to use sports to solve problems without fully understanding the issue at hand. “You can’t just ‘spray’ sport to solve your problems” Dixon advised. When using sport to enhance quality of life, there’s a need to understand the desired outcomes and the population in need. Only after this information is understood can an effective sport program be built.

Dixon designed her research to focus on a range of populations and situations: quality of life of coaching mothers/fathers, sporting families, the impact having one elite athletic sibling, refugees in sport, parenting through sport, sport and community building and more. “Marlene is one of the preeminent scholars in our field. Not only is her research record impressive, but she’s an advocate for using sport for good – she’s really making a difference in people’s lives through her research. You always leave a conversation with Marlene feeling energized to ask meaningful questions and excited for the next research endeavor” commented Professor Matthew Katz.  

Dixon received a B.A. from Trinity University, an M.Ed. in Sport Administration from The University of Texas at Austin, and a Ph.D. in Sport Management from The Ohio State University. Dr. Dixon is the Past-President and a Research Fellow in the North American Society for Sport Management. Active in scholarship, she serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Sport Management and on several sport management journal review boards.
 
The Research Seminar is designed to provide doctoral students a chance to present their own research and learn about the research of others. “Our doctoral students are doing terrific work. From 4th year PhD students who already have jobs, to our 1st year PhD students, they’re examining research gaps with interesting methods and important findings” explained Professor Nefertiti Walker. This year, four McCormack doctoral students contributed to the program. 

Abdullah Demirel: The Use of Brand Concept Maps and Network Analysis Tools to Examine Brand Assoc. Networks
Soyoung Joo: The Influence of CSR Authenticity on Consumer Behavioral Intentions
Jeff MacCharles: Examining Ways Sport Organizations Attract Diverse Job Applications: A Signaling Theory Perspective
Lauren Hindman: Sexism and Macroaggressions: Experiences of Female Managers in Professional Sports