Dr. Kristi Sweeney prepares students to become effective sport managers
Dr. Kristi Sweeney, chair and associate professor in the department of sport management, is a lifelong sports enthusiast who teaches courses in sport finance, fundraising and facility management. The proud soccer mom has been teaching at UNF for 14 years. She says her teaching philosophy involves encouraging her students to think both critically and analytically.
What led you to study sport management?
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I'm the daughter of a retired public school teacher, coach and athletic director, and I often say that I grew up in a gym. Sports has always been a huge part of my life so when presented with the opportunity to study sport management it was a no-brainer. I coached college softball while pursuing my master's degree and then worked for the University of New Mexico's athletic department while completing my Ph.D.
Describe your teaching style and philosophy.
First, let me say that teaching is why I chose this profession! I came to UNF because of the University’s strong commitment to community-based experiential learning and the sport-rich environment Jacksonville offers my teaching and our students. As a teacher, I want to empower students to take ownership of their college education and to facilitate an original and engaging educational experience.
Fostering critical thinking skills is an essential goal of my teaching, and I believe that students must understand sport finance to be effective future sport managers. Thus, I work extremely hard to encourage students to think critically and analytically. I do this by creating a classroom environment incorporating structured learning experiences while allowing students to explore and discover their professional calling. Given the importance of current events in the sport industry, I am constantly gathering information relevant to course content and discussions. I use the hour immediately before class to review material and methods and integrate the most up-to-date examples. I am continuously challenging my students to ask questions and seek answers to formulate their ideas and opinions from a factual perspective instead of merely repeating what they heard from popular media outlets. I use class discussions, specifically within sport finance, to give students a chance to develop clarity, rigor and effectiveness in their arguments.
As the generation gap grows between college faculty and students, knowing our audience is more important than ever, and I’m always working to find new ways to engage students. For example, I use the popular EA Sports’ Madden NFL video game as a simulation tool in our undergraduate Sport Finance class. Madden’s franchise mode allows student teams to become the owners of an NFL team of their choice and simulate competition over two seasons. Throughout the simulation, students must implement data-driven recommendations and adapt business operations while addressing attendance maximization and revenue optimization. While the simulation provides direct feedback on ticket prices, students must provide a rationale for price strategies supported by industry-best practices (i.e., variable pricing) and foundational lecture material. The video game allows groups to test their revenue development strategies in real-time while addressing topics such as team success (win-loss), revenue generation, player personnel issues, stadium upgrades or rebuilds, fan engagement and market share among other business outputs.
How do you engage your students?
I work hard to build relationships with students. By getting to know students, I better understand their backgrounds and interests, and I’m better equipped to connect class content to their lives and their career aspirations. The formula is rather simple — the best way to understand what students value is to ask them! Finally, I have a "no cell phone policy" in my class, so former students might say I engage them by eliminating the competition.
What do you think are the most important attributes of a good instructor?
Approachable, relatable, knowledgeable, passionate, engaging and has strong communication skills.
What are your current research interests/previous interests?
Throughout my career, I’ve worked to develop a relevant research agenda that intersects my areas of expertise in the following areas: professional sport consumer behavior, undergraduate sport management education and assessment, and women in sports. I recently co-authored a manuscript resulting from a large-scale research project on sport consumer behavior. Our research team collected data from over 5,000 spectators/fans across 15 teams and four continents and over 1.4 million data points.
What other jobs have you had besides teaching at UNF?
Before joining UNF, I taught sport management at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. I worked in college athletics at the University of New Mexico and Loras College while pursuing my advanced degrees. I've also worked in politics – which is kind of like a sport these days! As a consultant, I’ve worked with athletes and nonprofit organizations to create partnerships to positively impact communities locally and nationally. I also consult with athletes who want to start charitable foundations.
What book(s) are you currently reading or recently read?
The Ideal Team Player (for work). The best book I've read in the past few years is Echo. I read it with my daughter.
What do you like to do outside of teaching?
I'm a soccer mom — so that's a huge part of my time outside of teaching. I like to workout and spend time doing yard work.
What is one thing your colleagues may not know about you?
I'm a middle child with all the attributes of one — despite being a twin. My brother was born 11 hours and 45 minutes after me on a different day!