The next day, I received a message from Evan Abenstein ’20. I knew this guy well — we traveled together to Argentina during a Winter Term course and we were both long-suffering New York Knicks fans. He told me that he had developed a new sports obsession. It involved scouring online sportsbooks for “glitches,” betting lines posted by companies like DraftKings or FanDuel that, if acted upon quickly, could result in a guaranteed win. For instance, maybe a bet remained posted after a game had already ended. That’s a no-risk win. Or maybe an extra zero was added to an NBA player’s “prop” bet, allowing you to wager that they’ll score fewer than 200 points rather than 20 points. Again: easy money.

It was a fascinating story, another wrinkle to the emergence of widespread legalized sports betting across the United States. To some, it probably reinforces the notion that betting has taken over American sports. The concern is understandable. Ads for these companies are everywhere. It often seems like people are far more concerned with their own wager — or with finding glitches — than they are with the performance of their favorite team. Addiction is a real concern as well, especially among young people who suddenly have betting ads flooding their social media feeds and six different apps on their phone tempting them to place a wager.

But there’s another angle here. In my upcoming book, “Over/Under: An Unexpected History of Sports Betting,” I make the case that sports betting isn’t a result of the multibillion-dollar American sports industry but rather a primary reason for it. In fact, when I began researching the origin of nearly every major American sport — horse racing and boxing, of course, but also baseball, basketball, football, golf and others — I discovered that the first fans who bought a ticket to the arena or stadium were often there not to support their hometown heroes but rather to throw a couple bucks down on the outcome. It turns out that beating the bookie any way possible, which is what glitch-seeking is really all about, is a longtime American tradition.

If that’s true, if betting is a fundamental building block to nearly 200 years of sports fandom and obsession — perhaps the fundamental building block — what happens now that the activity is not only widespread but increasingly accessible? While there are important questions being asked by politicians and journalists about advertising, culpability and addiction, equally interesting to me as a sport management professor is the future of fandom. Do teams, leagues and media partners really want to foster an environment of props and parlays? A sports landscape where fans focus on point spreads, moneylines and glitches rather than generational loyalty and regional identity?

Because if the teams, leagues and media partners keep telling their viewers and attendees to bet, bet some more and then keep betting, that’s what a lot of their so-called fans — especially the young ones — are going to do. It might very well be instinctual. And then we’ll all be wondering the same thing: Do Americans actually want their team to win? Or do they just want to beat the bookie?

David Bockino, associate professor of sport management and director of Elon’s media analytics program, is the author of “Over/Under.” The book, which was featured on The New York Times list of “New Nonfiction Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026,” comes out in June.

arrived at Elon without knowing a single role inside a broadcast control room – not the technical director, not the replay operator, not even how the production itself came together. Four years later, the cinema and television arts major now operates at the highest level, having stepped into an NHL television broadcast.

“Since my first year, I’ve tried to immerse myself in Elon Sports Vision as much as possible, attempting to absorb and learn if 1, this is what I wanted to do, and 2, if I found it fun,” Doherty said. “Ultimately, I fell in love with broadcasting sports.”

That immersion opened the door to a rare opportunity: Doherty served as technical director for a March 12 St. Louis Blues NHL broadcast, managing the live production from a FanDuel remote truck outside Lenovo Center as the show was delivered back to St. Louis. Assistant Professor Max Negin, who worked the same game as a replay operator and editor, said the opportunity reflects just how unique Doherty’s rise has been.

“It’s truly rare for someone this early in their career to work a professional hockey game for a regional network,” Negin said.

Even more remarkable, Negin noted, was how Doherty prepared for the role – �þ��� himself to operate one of the industry’s most complex switchers while learning to manage the pace and precision required at the professional level.

“Learning a very complicated switcher, basically on his own, is something I’ve never heard of anyone doing in my 30-plus years of television,” Negin said. “But beyond the equipment, Philip also was able to build a show and work in a high-pressure environment without making any major mistakes – again, something that seasoned and very experienced TDs don’t do.”

Doherty’s path to that moment was built through hands-on experience and initiative. After gaining early experience with Elon Sports Vision and working as a technical director for Elon football broadcasts, he began building connections that opened doors to freelance opportunities on college football broadcasts across ESPN platforms.

“The biggest thing I learned at Elon isn’t my technical skill, but rather the people skills,” Doherty said. “Building connections and relationships by far has been the most important component. If I hadn’t attempted to talk to people in the real world, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything I have gotten to do.”

Doherty credited a group of Elon mentors and collaborators – including Quintin Brenner, John Spitznagel, Annika Cronin, Patrick Cunningham and Negin – for helping him develop his skills and navigate the industry.

“I couldn’t have gotten to where I am today without the people at Elon helping me out along the way.”
– Philip Doherty ’26

Those connections became critical in preparing for his first NHL assignment. After being hired, Doherty reached out to the broadcast’s director in advance, studying materials and workflows so he could step into the truck prepared.

Instead of focusing on visual flair, he concentrated on the fundamentals – building the elements needed to get the show on air – from sponsored segments to in-game transitions.

By the end of the broadcast, the feedback was immediate. Negin said professionals on site – from crew members to network leadership – were impressed not only with Doherty’s performance, but with how seamlessly he operated.

“Everyone involved said he did a great job and wants him back the next time St. Louis comes to town,” the professor said.

For Negin, Doherty’s trajectory is almost unheard of. “To me, this is like an Elon baseball player jumping from Division I baseball games, and within a year, starting in the major leagues and making an all-star team,” he said.

Now, with his first NHL broadcast complete, Doherty sees it as confirmation he’s on the right path.

“This NHL show only confirmed that this industry is for me, and I am stoked to continue onward,” he said. “I cannot wait to see what comes down the road.”

Published in March in the International Journal of the History of Sport, the article, “,” was written in collaboration with Jörg Krieger of Aarhus University.

The research arrives at a moment of renewed global debate. In 2025, World Athletics reinstated sex control policies, and reports suggest the International Olympic Committee (IOC) may consider similar measures. Current verification methods focus on identifying a specific gene to determine eligibility in women’s sport – an approach that has drawn criticism from leading medical experts as both unscientific and unethical.

Pieper and Krieger’s work demonstrates that these tensions are not new.

Drawing on archival research, the authors examine opposition from Danish geneticists and medical professionals in the 1970s, who challenged the IOC’s use of chromosomal testing. In 1972, five Aarhus University professors formally protested the policy, arguing that no single biological criterion could accurately define sex and warning of the harm such practices could cause — particularly for women with differences of sexual development.

Despite acknowledging the scientific limitations, the IOC chose to continue its testing protocols.

“We were unsurprised to find that the IOC ignored the expertise of the Aarhus professors in the 1970s,” Pieper said. “It has a long history of disregarding scientific and medical knowledge that conflicts with its ideas about women’s sport. The consequences are on display today. World Athletics is again ignoring experts, including Andrew Sullivan, who led the team that discovered the gene in question, to enforce gendered categories.”

By tracing this historical pattern, the research argues that sport governing bodies have consistently prioritized rigid biological definitions over evolving scientific understanding — a trend that continues to shape policy decisions today.

Pieper joined Elon in 2025 after 13 years at the University of Lynchburg, where she served as department chair of sport management. She is the author of two books, “Sex Testing: Gender Policing in Women’s Sport” and “Women in the Olympics,” and her scholarship has appeared in journals including Sport in Society and the Journal of Sport History.

The International Journal of the History of Sport is a leading peer-reviewed academic journal published by Taylor & Francis that focuses on the historical study of sport, physical culture and related social issues.

The competition included 17 teams, from 9 schools, and each team presented their work for judges from professional baseball teams and companies. Teams were given one week to develop an analytics-based approach to determine when certain power hitters should adjust their plan at the plate to favor more contact. The teams needed to decide on an approach, gather and clean data, analyze the data, and produce a 20-minute presentation during that time. Elon’s team collected data from four different sources to build a model accounting for batter and pitcher ability, situational importance, ballpark-specific factors, and weather. Part of their approach included using existing situations where batters might already adjust their plan to determine which hitters have the greatest capacity to make adjustments.

Elon has been sending a team to this competition for a decade, and several former members have secured jobs with professional baseball teams after graduation. Jackie Jovanovic ’23, who represented Elon in the competition twice, returned this year as a judge for the competition. She is now working for the Miami Marlins as a Junior Data Scientist.

The Baseball Analytics Club meets weekly throughout most of the year and is mentored by Ryne VanKrevelen, associate �þ��� professor of statistics. �þ��� interested in joining the club or learning more should reach out to VenKrevelen.

Student participation in the conference was supported by the School of Communication, College of Arts and Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics Department and Data Nexus. The five-member team will present their work at the Spring Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) in April.

The School of Communications community gathered March 5 in Snow Family Grand Atrium for the third annual Spotlight on Inclusive Excellence, an interactive event highlighting projects and initiatives advancing inclusive storytelling and media practice.

The program featured table conversations where attendees moved throughout the space to engage with students, faculty and staff about ongoing initiatives and projects.

Take a closer look at our Spotlight on Inclusive Excellence with our .

Assistant Dean Vanessa Bravo opened the event by emphasizing that inclusive excellence remains a core priority within the School of Communications and across �þ���.

“Inclusive excellence is deeply important to us,” Bravo said. “These values have always mattered and will continue to matter.”

Throughout the program, attendees explored a range of subjects, including work by student organizations, projects from Live Oak Communications — the school’s student-run communications agency — student journalism and research efforts, faculty scholarship and coursework connected to the university’s Advancing Equity Requirement.

Other discussions focused on topics such as women in sports, student research featured in academic journals, and projects examining how communications and media can amplify diverse voices and perspectives.

Bravo said the event helped the school community better understand the breadth of inclusive excellence initiatives taking place across the School of Communications.

“This is a great opportunity to learn about the many diversity-, equity- and inclusion-related efforts happening throughout the School of Communications,” she said. “From student organizations and faculty research to journalism projects and alumni work, these efforts demonstrate how our community is engaging these issues in meaningful ways.”

“The discussions highlighted how quickly the communications landscape is evolving — and why questions of equity and representation remain central to that change,” said Lorraine Ahearn, assistant professor of journalism and chair of the Inclusive Excellence Committee. “Our students, faculty and alumni are actively examining how media systems shape who is represented and whose voices are heard.”

Bravo thanked the faculty members who organized the event through the school’s Inclusive Excellence Committee, including Ahearn, Young Do Kim, Sydney Nicolla, and Lee Bush, as well as the students, faculty and staff who hosted conversations during the program.

More than 130 students gathered in Snow Family Grand Atrium on March 3 for the Communications and Sport Management Meet & Greet, an event designed to connect Elon students with industry professionals, internship opportunities and career insights.

Hosted in partnership with the Student Professional Development Center and the School of Communications, the event brought together employers from across the communications and sport industries. Representatives from organizations including APCO, Capitol Broadcasting Company, Carolina Core FC, SportsMEDIA Technology and the Burlington Sock Puppets met with students interested in exploring career paths and building their professional networks.

For photos of the Meet & Greet, visit our .

A defining feature of this year’s event was the strong presence of Elon alumni, who participated both in person and virtually to mentor current students and share insights from their professional journeys.

Alumni representatives included Shanna Van Beek ’12 of APCO and Laker Figueroa ’25 of the Burlington Sock Puppets, who attended in person, as well as Jack Taylor ’21 of Golin, Catherine Nester ’22 of The Walt Disney Company, Lexie Flood ’21 of Edelman, Luke LeSourd ’13 of NFL Films and Elena Kyriakos ’18 of NBC Universal, who joined virtually to connect with students.

Ryan Taube, associate director of corporate and employer relations for the School of Communications, said the event’s alumni participation added a meaningful dimension.

“What made this year special is the number of fantastic alumni who participated,” Taube said. “Our alumni always want to give back to current students, and this networking opportunity provided them a chance to speak about their current roles and how Elon prepared them to be successful in a competitive job market.”

In total, 138 students attended the event, engaging in one-on-one conversations with employers about internships, entry-level roles and career preparation. The event was coordinated with support from Ross Wade, Amber Moser, Alison Doherty, Kameryn Taylor and Taube.

Participating organizations – In-Person

APCO
Burlington Sock Puppets
�þ��� Greensboro
Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc.
Carolina Core FC
�þ��� – Athletic Department
�þ��� – Isabella Cannon Global Education Center
�þ��� – Office of Alumni Engagement
North Carolina Department of Public Safety
SportsMEDIA Technology (SMT)

Participating organizations – Virtual

Columbus Blue Jackets
Edelman
NBC Universal
Golin
NFL Films
The Walt Disney Company

Open to students of all class years, the Meet & Greet is designed to foster meaningful connections between students and employers actively seeking talent in the fields of communications and sport management. Whether students are exploring career paths, searching for internships, or preparing for post-graduation employment, this event provides a welcoming environment to network and gain insight into various industries.

Attendees will have the chance to engage in one-on-one conversations with employers, learn about current job and internship opportunities and gain advice on how to stand out in competitive professional settings. Events like this not only help students build their professional networks but also allow them to practice essential communication skills in a real-world setting.

�þ��� are encouraged to bring copies of their resumes, dress professionally and come prepared with questions. The Communications and Sport Management Meet & Greet promises to be an excellent opportunity to take the next step toward a successful career.

The event, scheduled from 4:20 to 5:30 p.m., will feature a dynamic speed-rotation format, allowing attendees to engage in a variety of discussions in 15-minute intervals. Faculty, staff, students and alumni will lead conversations exploring how their work advances access, representation and belonging in the communications and sport fields.

This year’s table topics reflect the breadth of the school’s work – from health literacy and neuroinclusive communication to religious diversity, brand activism, student journalism and the influence of algorithms on movie audiences. Other sessions will spotlight �þ��� research, alumni leadership and student-driven initiatives that aim to build a more connected and representative community.

“Reaching underrepresented people is the through-line for so much of our work in the School of Communications,” said Lorraine Ahearn, assistant professor of journalism and chair of the Inclusive Excellence Committee. “These presenters demonstrate how dynamic our field is, and how tapped in Elon students, faculty and alumni are to these changing systems and the ways they impact equity in communications.”

Complimentary beverages and snacks will be provided.

For more information, contact Ahearn at lahearn@elon.edu.

Table Topic Discussions and Presenters

1. Engaging All Audiences Through Neuroinclusive Communication Practices
   James Holsinger, Executive Director, Koenigsberger Learning Center
2. Live Oak Communications: Rooted In Community
   Hal Vincent, Associate Teaching Professor, Strategic Communications
   
3. Understanding is Power: What is Health Literacy and Why Does it Matter?
   Julie Lellis, Professor, Strategic Communications
4. The Politics of Play: Race, Gender, and Power in Sport
   Lindsay Pieper, Assistant Professor, Sport Management
5. Diversity in the Age of Algorithms
   Sowjanya Kudva, Assistant Professor, Cinema and Television Arts
6. Exploring Religion in a Diverse �þ��� Community
   Anthony Hatcher, Professor, Journalism & Max Negin, Assistant Professor, Cinema and Television Arts
7. Faces of the Future: Undergrad Research on the Cutting Edge
   Maddie Bauman ’26 & Halli Harwood ’26
8. Friend or Faux: The Role of Authenticity in Brand Activism and Advocacy
   Shanetta Pendleton, Assistant Professor, Strategic Communications
9. Alumni Spotlight: A Journalistic Voice for Justice and Clarity
   Robin Adams Cheeley ’81
10. Unity in Communications: A Student Initiative to Build Diverse Community
11. International Student Spotlight: Navigating Across Cultures
    Ethan Wu ’27 & Bernardo Vargas-Lopez ’26
12. Student journalists: Challenging Inequity in the Real World
    Estella Hoye ’27 & Cassie Weymouth ’26

Live sports may be the last true mass audience in media – and the future of how fans watch them is rapidly changing. That was the focus of the 2026 Sport Management Symposium, where award-winning sports writer and broadcaster Seth Davis headlined a conversation about the evolving business of live sports.

Held Feb. 25, in Turner Theatre, the annual symposium explored how live sports continue to adjust across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms – and what those changes mean for leagues, networks and fans. Davis joined the symposium virtually after a blizzard in the Northeast disrupted his broadcast schedule.

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In a wide-ranging conversation with Assistant Professor Bill Squadron, Davis offered students an unfiltered look at how disruption – from digital media to NIL to legalized sports betting – is transforming the industry.

Davis reflected on two major inflection points that transformed sports media during his career: the rise of the internet and the advent of the iPhone and social media. He described how legacy media companies were slow to adapt to digital distribution models, fundamentally altering the economics of journalism. Yet despite rapid technological change – and the emergence of artificial intelligence – Davis emphasized that the fundamentals of storytelling endure.

“There is still an appetite, particularly in the world of sports, for compelling programming and good storytelling,” he said.

He also addressed the growing challenge of misinformation and AI-generated content, noting that journalism has never been more important as audiences navigate an increasingly fragmented information ecosystem.

Turning to college athletics, Davis described the NIL and transfer portal era as a “mass disruption,” shaped by long-standing legal vulnerabilities in the NCAA model. He discussed how expanded athlete compensation and annual free agency have made programs more transactional, complicating roster stability and culture-building while also increasing athletes’ earning power and freedom.

Davis also addressed the normalization of legalized sports betting and its impact on media coverage. Once referenced subtly during broadcasts, betting lines and odds are now openly discussed, creating new revenue streams while raising new ethical and regulatory questions for leagues and media companies alike.

Throughout the conversation, Davis returned to a central theme for students preparing to enter the industry: adaptability matters, but strong reporting is essential. In a media landscape crowded with podcasts and commentary, he urged aspiring professionals to focus on credibility and expertise.

“Become a good reporter, become an expert, develop your sources, develop your traction in the space, and you got a chance to stand out and move forward,” Davis said.

The symposium continued with two expert panels that examined the industry from league, network and technology perspectives.

The first panel, “League TV Rights Strategy in a Shifting Media Landscape,” featured Tyler McBride of the Atlantic Coast Conference, sports media consultant John Kosner and Sports Business Journal reporter Austin Karp. The discussion centered on the delicate balance leagues must strike between revenue and reach as traditional cable subscriptions decline and streaming platforms multiply.

The panelists emphasized that media rights negotiations are no longer solely about dollars. Exposure, demographic reach and production quality now play critical roles in determining the right partner.

Framing live sports as the industry’s last true mass audience driver, Kosner made the stakes clear: “You can’t be in the advertising business going forward, if you’re not big in sports,” he said.

The group also examined the growing influence of technology companies in the sports rights marketplace. While legacy networks once relied heavily on subscriber bundles, streaming platforms operate under different economic models, with advertising and global scale driving long-term strategy. Panelists noted that must-have properties – such as the NFL, NBA and major college football – continue to command escalating fees, while mid-tier and regional properties face growing pressure in an increasingly selective marketplace.

The second panel, “Tech Companies, Streaming and Sports Content,” shifted the focus to distribution, content creation and the changing nature of sports media careers. Media executive and journalist Michele Steele, former Amazon Prime Video sports strategy executive Michael Morris and Elon alumnus Alex Day ’16 shared perspectives from traditional broadcast, streaming and digital-first content environments.

Panelists explored how streaming platforms and social media have lowered barriers to entry while simultaneously increasing competition. Steele described the ongoing shift away from linear television, noting that sports remain one of the few forms of content that consistently drive live audiences. Morris provided insight into how tech companies evaluate sports rights as part of broader entertainment and advertising strategies.

Day, a rising voice in New York sports media, offered a firsthand account of building a career at the intersection of social media, brand partnerships and live sports coverage, explaining that content creators are increasingly operating as independent media brands.

“There’s not a great barrier to entry right now, so you have to come up with some creative ideas to do it a little bit differently, get people engaged,” Day said, encouraging students to differentiate themselves in a crowded digital landscape.

�þ���’s participants at the might avoid the term “three-peat” – since it is a registered trademark owned by former NBA coach Pat Riley – but the sentiment fits all the same. For the third consecutive year, an Elon student captured the top prize in the conference’s , continuing a remarkable run of national recognition for the Department of Sport Management.

Seven Elon students and two faculty members traveled to Temple University in Philadelphia for this year’s ASMA Conference, held Feb. 11–13, joining more than 300 academics and industry professionals for three days of research presentations, panels and case study competitions. All seven students presented original research, with four competing in the �þ��� research competition against peers from top sport management programs across the country.

This year’s top honor in the �þ��� research competition went to , who earned first place for her project, “Does Conference Realignment Pay? Evidence from NCAA Division I Institutions,” advised by Assistant Professor of Sport Management Alex Traugutt. Logue’s win follows first-place finishes by Lena Gunn ’25 in 2024 and Sarah Dawkins ’25 in 2025, marking three straight years atop the competition.

For Khirey Walker, assistant professor of sport management, the sustained success reflects more than strong results – it signals a culture of preparation, curiosity and confidence among Elon students.

“There is something truly special about watching our Elon students compete at the ASMA Conference and present research they have genuinely poured themselves into,” said Walker who accompanied the students with Traugutt to Philadelphia. “You can hear it in their voices when they present – this is not just any project to them, it is a reflection of who they are as future sport management professionals. To then see them compete in the research competition against some of the strongest sport management programs in the country and take home top honors three years in a row … that doesn’t happen by accident.”

Walker credited the students’ success to a culture of curiosity and the program’s high standards for �þ��� research.

“That’s a testament to the intellectual curiosity these students bring into the classroom and the standards set within the Elon sport management program,” Walker said. “Dr. Traugutt and I are extremely proud of this group and excited to continue bringing our students to ASMA.”

The 2026 conference offered Elon students a professional stage to present research on topics ranging from NIL policy and international student-athlete experiences to minor league hockey attendance patterns and the impact of conference realignment. The seven Elon presenters included:

• , “Are MLS Teams Spending Wisely? An Empirical Analysis of Player Performance and Salary Allocation” (advised by Traugutt)
• , “Beyond Borders: NIL Rights and the International Student-Athlete Experience” (advised by Walker)
• , “Building the Fan Base: Season Ticket Holder Perceptions and Attendance Motivations in Minor League Hockey” (advised by Traugutt)
• , “Does Conference Realignment Pay? Evidence from NCAA Division I Institutions” (advised by Traugutt)
• , “The Transfer Portal Era: Crowding Out High School Opportunities in Power Four Football” (advised by Traugutt)
• , “International Student Athletes in NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer: Motivations, Aspirations, and Issues” (advised by Walker)
• , “From Transactions to Insights: Modeling Attendance Patterns in Minor League Hockey” (advised by Traugutt)

For students, the conference offered more than a platform to present research — it provided meaningful professional exposure and a chance to connect classroom learning with real-world conversations in the field.

“ASMA is more than a poster presentation,” said Anabella Shpak ’26, a sport management and business analytics double major. “It’s about networking with others in the field, listening to dissertations and presentations of professionals in their area of interest. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity, and if any student has the opportunity to do �þ��� research and attend ASMA in the future, I would highly recommend it!”

Lucy McAfee ’26, a sport management and exercise science double major, said presenting at a national conference as an �þ��� helped her better understand the professional relevance of her work.

“I valued the opportunity to engage in conversations with professionals in the sport industry and learn from other researchers’ work,” McAfee said. “And I am extremely grateful that Elon – specifically the Department of Sport Management – promotes opportunities like this for students.”

For Maddy Baird ’27, the competition and feedback process reinforced her academic and career interests.

“Engaging in meaningful conversations, receiving thoughtful feedback, building connections, and learning from fellow students and faculty as they presented their research made this conference both inspiring and impactful,” the sport management and data analytics double major said. “Experiences like the ASMA Conference continue to fuel my passion for sport management, data analytics, and research.”