'The ABCs of Sport Fandom' lecture set for Oct. 17


LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Department of Health, Sport & Exercise Sciences welcomes Professor Daniel Wann as keynote speaker at the third annual Mawson Scholar Speaker Series. 

His lecture, “The ABCs of Sport Fandom: What We Know and Where We Should Go,” will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 17, in Woodruff Auditorium at the Kansas Union. The event is free and open to the public.

Wann has been studying the psychology of sport fans and spectators since the mid-1980s, with a particular interest in fan identification (i.e., a fan’s psychological connection to a team), spectator violence and the actions of parents as spectators at youth sporting events. Wann has published two books ("Sport Psychology," Prentice Hall, 1997; "Sport Fans: The Psychology and Social Impact of Spectators," Routledge, 2001), authored more than 150 journal articles and book chapters, and has given over 100 conference presentations on the topic of sport fans and parental involvement in sport. 

“We could not be more excited to welcome Dr. Wann back to campus. As a proud Jayhawk graduate, he was an obvious choice for this year’s lecture,” said Jordan Bass, associate chair of the Department of Health, Sport & Exercise Sciences. “Dr. Wann is a pillar in the field of sport management, and it will be quite the honor to have him join us.”

Wann currently serves as a professor of psychology at Murray State University in western Kentucky and is a member of the Executive Board of Directors for the National Alliance for Youth Sports. He was founder and initial director of the Sport Fandom Special Interest Group for the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. 

Wann has been interviewed by over 300 media outlets including newspaper, magazine, radio and television. He has been hired as a consultant to several national businesses and sport organizations to assist them in their understanding of sport fans, and he was also hired as an expert witness for multiple cases involving sport fandom. More information about Wann can be found here.

The Mawson Scholar Speaker Series was established in summer 2016 as an annual event designed to bring a prominent sport management scholar and presenter to KU each fall. It is a significant series for the enhancement of students and faculty in the discipline. More information on the Mawson Scholar Speaker Series can be found here.

The Department of Health, Sport, & Exercise Sciences is housed in the School of Education, a nationally ranked school preparing educators and health/sport/exercise professionals as leaders.    

Mon, 10/15/2018

author

Janelle Laudick

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Janelle Laudick

School of Education and Human Sciences

785-864-6089