黑料社

For Ceyda Mumcu, Ph.D., research is an important way to explore issues that matter to her in the field of sports. As a former professional basketball player in Turkey who 黑料社d unequal treatment firsthand, she is passionate about making a difference in women鈥檚 sports 鈥� and in pushing for change.

An expert in fan behavior, sport marketing, and marketing analytics, Dr. Mumcu has pursued scholarly work focusing on women鈥檚 sports, diversity, equity, inclusion, and change. Last year, she was invited to join an interdisciplinary research group of scholars, and their proposal, 鈥淐ommunicating for Justice and Equality: Women鈥檚 Sport and Corporate Social Advocacy鈥� has now received a grant and an award that will support their work.

The group recently received the , which was awarded by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication鈥檚 . The proposal also received a grant from the at .

鈥淚 always try to research and contribute to topics that are close to my heart,鈥� said Dr. Mumcu, an associate professor and chair of sport management at the University. 鈥淚 consistently put all my effort into discovering or generating insights, and being acknowledged for our contribution is incredibly fulfilling.

鈥淥ver the time I played sports, unequal treatment wasn鈥檛 just in terms of public attention or media and or corporate interest,鈥� she continued. 鈥淚t also happens with clubs and in organizational structures. It is something I 黑料社d personally, and it is my life鈥檚 work, perhaps, to make a difference and help push for change.鈥�

鈥楪reat change for women鈥檚 sports鈥�

The interdisciplinary group includes researchers that Dr. Mumcu describes as 鈥渋ncredible scholars鈥� who are working on similar topics but come from diverse backgrounds, including communication and sociology.

鈥淚 am so grateful to be part of the research group I am working with,鈥� said Dr. Mumcu. 鈥淚t is encouraging that there are likeminded individuals who have been working for the same cause.鈥�

"We can improve the world through more equitable opportunities for everyone."Ceyda Mumcu, Ph.D.

Dr. Mumcu says women鈥檚 sports in the United States, which have historically received considerably less attention than men鈥檚 sports, have recently enjoyed 鈥渞emarkable鈥� commercial success. During the pandemic and as our lives and societies have become increasingly digitized, she says viewership and interest have exploded.

鈥淲e have seen great numbers, great ratings, and exponentially increasing viewership,鈥� said Dr. Mumcu, who was also a co-author of the first study on marketing sports to LGBTQ+ fans. 鈥淪ocial media engagement is increasing. Merchandise is sold out, and, in some cases, it鈥檚 backordered. This is showcasing great change for women鈥檚 sports.鈥�

鈥楾he power to change the world鈥�

Women鈥檚 sports aren鈥檛 just leading the way in terms of increased interest. They are also on the leading edge of fostering social change. Dr. Mumcu says that, over the past several years, women鈥檚 sports leagues, teams, and the athletes themselves have been key players in pushing for change and in 鈥渁mplifying the voices of society for underprivileged populations.鈥� As a researcher, this was something that Dr. Mumcu found inspiring and worth exploring.

鈥淭his gave us an opportunity to research and determine that women鈥檚 sports are more focused and involved in social change and activism compared to the male sports,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat gives us the idea that we should probably examine how social advocacy is actually taking place in women鈥檚 sports. This is the greatest moment to focus on this research, as things are changing on a daily basis.鈥�

Dr. Mumcu has been discussing these trends with her students, who, she says, closely follow sports and industry trends. She says that, like much of society, they are also likely to follow mainstream male sports more closely, and she hopes to help them see the bigger picture. The impact of women鈥檚 sports on social change and activism continues to be an important topic of discussion in her classroom.

鈥淪tudents do not always recognize the impact women鈥檚 sports or female athletes are making,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is an opportunity to make an impact on the growth of future generations of professionals. We always talk about sport as a social institution with the power to change the world, so our contributing to that change, no matter how small or how large, is going to have an impact on making a change. We can improve the world through more equitable opportunities for everyone.鈥�