Katie Sveinson
Associate Professor | Associate Department Chair | Charles J. Dockendorff Endowed Faculty Fellow
Dr. Sveinson’s research explores how people’s experiences as sport fans are shaped by the world around them, particularly when it comes to gender. She is interested in both what fandom means to women and fans of women’s sports, as well as how organizations try to connect with these audiences through marketing, merchandise, and promotional campaigns. Her research informs decisions around product development (e.g., merchandise), branding, and promotional campaigns to ensure they authentically resonate with various fan identities. Her work helps organizations strengthen fan loyalty, reach underserved audiences, and advance gender equity. She brings her expertise into her courses to give students a nuanced perspective. Dr. Sveinson received the Isenberg School of Management Outstanding Research Award, is a NASSM Research Fellow, and is named the Charles J. Dockendorff Endowed Faculty Fellow. She is also on the editorial boards of Journal of Sport Management and Sport Management Review (premier journals).
Education
Academic appointments
Honors / Awards
Research Interests
Teaching Interests
- Sport policy
- Sport marketing
- Women in business
- Research paradigms in sport management
Selected Working Papers/Current Research
"Getting into the mess(iness): A review of qualitative sport consumer research over 25 years"
"Wearing women's sports: Meanings, community, and legitimacy in fan apparel"
Media, Industry, and Public Impact
Sports Innovation Lab (2026, forthcoming) – The Fan Project.
Vogue Czechoslovakia (2026, February) – “Go for it Proudly”.
The Offside Rule (2025, April 17th) – Merchandise in women’s football https://open.spotify.com/episode/5GQA9XRPsgQWrrjOUPwKWg
BBC News (2025, April 16th) – “Improve women’s football merchandise, study says” https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrgq55w0lpo
Sports Business Journal (2023) –If you build it, they will buy it: Women’s soccer fans desire more team apparel. https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2023/08/21/Unpacks/oped-21-think-tank/
Females in Motorsport (2022, March 18th) – “I received death threats for a month”: Female Motorsport fans fight for their place in the sport. https://www.femalesinmotorsport.com/post/female-motorsport-fans
Professional Links
Personal webpage: www.katiesveinson.ca
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=MKI3QYcAAAAJ&hl=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-sveinson-097782192/
Selected Publications
Sveinson, K., Delia, E., Melton, N., Dalal, K., & Cunningham, G. (2025). Rethinking rigor: Using positionality and reflexivity to enhance sport management scholarship. Journal of Sport Management, 39(2), 79-89. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2024-0155
Sveinson, K., & Macaulay, C.D.T. (2024). Selling gender through kids’ sport team merchandise: A multimodal critical discourse analysis. Journal of Sport Management, 38(4), 240-256. https//doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2023-0114
Sveinson, K., & Toffoletti, K. (2023). What makes sport spectating family friendly? A phenomenological study of mothers’ sport fan game-day experiences. Journal of Sport Management, 37(2), 102-115. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2021-0355
Sveinson, K., & Allison, R. (2022). “Something seriously wrong with US Soccer”: A critical discourse analysis of consumers’ Twitter responses to U.S. Soccer’s girls’ apparel promotion. Journal of Sport Management, 36(5), 446-458. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2021-0127
Sveinson, K., Taylor, E., Keaton, A.C.I., Burton, L., Pegoraro, A., & Toffoletti, K. (2022). Addressing gender inequity in sport through women’s invisible labor. Journal of Sport Management, 36(3), 240-250. http://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2021-0229
Sveinson, K., Hoeber, L., & Heffernan, C. (2021). Critical discourse analysis as theory, methodology, and analysis in sport management studies. Journal of Sport Management, 35(5), 465-475. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2020-0288