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Adam Beissel
Associate Professor
Sport Leadership and Management

Adam Beissel, Ph.D.

Contact Info

513-529-1444
Laws Hall 219E

Links

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Education Credentials

  • Ph.D., Sport Studies, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
  • MBA, Sport Management, University of Baltimore/Towson University
  • B.S., Sport Management, Towson University

Biography

Adam S. Beissel, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Sport Leadership and Management (SLAM) at Miami University (OH). Prior to joining Miami in 2017, Adam previously held a position on the faculty of the Physical Cultural Studies program at the University of Maryland – College Park.

Meet Your Professor

Courses Regularly Instructed

  • SLM 248: Global Sport Perspectives 
  • SLM 413/513: Sport Economics
  • SLM 246 & 248: Sport, Management, & Culture in the Global Marketplace: New Zealand Study Abroad 
  • SLM 246: The Management and Culture of English Soccer: London Study Abroad 
  • SLM 246: Sport, Management, & Culture in the Global Marketplace: Barcelona and Madrid Study Abroad 

Scholarly Focus

Adam’s scholarship and teaching interrogates the geopolitical economy of global sport. His primary research interests include six (6) themes:

(1)   Political Economy of Sport Mega-Events;

(2)   Geopolitics of Sport;

(3)   Sport Stadiums and Urban Development;

(4)   Social and Economic (in)justice in Collegiate Sport;

(5)   Sports Labor Markets and Global Athletic Migration and;

(6)   Sport, Globalization, and the Contemporary Global Economy.

His peer-reviewed manuscripts have appeared in several high-quality and highly selective academic journals, including: Sociology of Sport Journal; Soccer & Society; Journal of Sport and Social Issues; Sport in Society; Sport Management Review; Journal of Global Sport Management; International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics; International Journal of Sport Communication, International Journal of Sport Marketing and Sponsorship; and Journal of Intercollegiate Athletics. Moreover, he has published numerous book chapters on issues pertaining to the global politics of international sport in a number of edited books from such publishers as: Human Kinetics; Routledge; Palgrave MacMillan; Oxford University Press; Rutgers University Press; Elgar Publishing, and Cornell University Press.

Adam’s research has been presented at such conferences as: North American Society for the Sociology of Sport; International Sociology of Sport World Congress; North American Society for Sport Management; College Sport Research Institute; the Football Collective; American Geographers; & Urban Affairs. In addition, he’s a frequent contributor to public scholarship with several news media interviews, authored op-eds, and featured podcast appearances.

His most recent research involves an interdisciplinary research project critically examining the cultural and political economies of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand. In 2023, he published a co-edited monograph, The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup: Politics, Representation, and Management in the Routledge Series on Women, Sport, and Physical Activity (with Verity Postlethwaite, Andrew Grainger, and Julie Brice). The collection features chapters from leading international scholars and explores a range of issues as the world prepared for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. A second co-edited book on the topic was published in 2025 entitled: Critical Perspectives on the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Events, Issues, and Controversies in the Routledge Series on Women, Sport, and Physical Activity (with Jule Brice, Verity Postlethwaite, and Andrew Grainger). This collection comprises 20 unique chapters from 43 authors across 11 countries and 6 continents, representing what we believe is the largest collection of original research and scholarship dedicated to a stand-alone women’s sporting event. Together, these collections stake a critical (and, at times, hopeful) approach to the development of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament serving as useful sources and texts for anyone interested in sport management, sport policy and politics, sport mega-events, international sports diplomacy, women and girls in sport, and gendered media representation(s) in sport. 

His current research project critically examines the geopolitical economy of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup jointly hosted in Mexico, Canada, and the United States. He has authored several journal article manuscripts and refereed book chapters that explore the cultural, political, and economic issues and concerns that emerged through the bidding process and in the lead-up to the event’s hosting. He plans to conduct ethnographic fieldwork throughout the tournament in Summer 2026 for a series of additional journal articles and book chapters, eventually culminating in a research book on the event. A formal proposal for a book on the event is currently under development.

Other ongoing research projects: investigate the social, economic, and political machinations of sports programming at intercollegiate athletic institutions; explore the economic impact of mixed-use development logics guiding stadium construction; researches the transnational mobility and movement of global athletic laborers in the context of international sport, and considers the cultural impacts or effects of commercialization and globalization on the contemporary sport system.

Select Publications

Edited Books:

  • Beissel, A.S., Postlethwaite, V., Grainger, A., Brice, J. (Eds.) (2025). Critical Perspectives on the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Events, Issues, and Controversies. Routledge Book Series: Critical Research in Football. Routledge. ISBN: 1032459034.
  • Beissel, A.S., Postlethwaite, V., Grainger, A., & Brice, J. (Eds.) (2023). The FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup: Politics, Representation, & Management. Routledge Book Series on Women, Sport, and Physical Activity. ISBN: 1032459034.

Recent Publications:

  • Rookwood, J., Grainger, A.G., & Beissel, A.S. (Accepted - 2025). Sustainability, leverage, and power: The sociology of sports events. In Rookwood, J., Evans, A., Lennels, V. and Tjønndal, A. (Eds.) (2026). Elegar Encycopedia of Socioloy of Sport. Elgar Publishing.Beissel, A. S. & King-White, R. (Accepted - 2025). A tale of two cities: A case study approach examining the inter-city competitive bid process for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup. Soccer & Society Special Issue.
  • Crabill, E., Hodler, M., & Beissel, A.S. (2025). Grievance Games: American sport grievance culture and FOX Sports’ coverage of the United States Women’s National Team during the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. In Beissel, A.S., Postlethwaite, V., Grainger, A., & Brice, J. (Eds.) (2025). Critical Perspectives on the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Events, Issues, and Controversies. Routledge Book Series on Women, Sport, and Physical Activity. ISBN: 1032459034.
  • Grainger, A.G. & Beissel, A.S. (2025). Mind the Gap: Deconstructing the progress narratives of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. In Beissel, A.S., Postlethwaite, V., Grainger, A., & Brice, J. (Eds.) (2025). Critical Perspectives on the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Events, Issues, and Controversies. Routledge Book Series on Women, Sport, and Physical Activity. ISBN: 1032459034.
  • Ruihley, B. & Beissel, A.S. (2025). The sports-media-gambling industrial complex: influencers, user-generated content, and the rise of integrative media. In Sport, advertising and global promotional culture: Identities, commodities, spaces, and spectacles. ISBN: 1138940992.
  • Chen, R., Su, Y., & Beissel, A.S. (2024). The quest for authenticity amidst athlete activism and sportswashing: A netnographical study of distant fan communities during the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup. Soccer & Society Special Issue. DOI: 10.1080/14660970.2024.2332094
  • Beissel, A.S., Postlethwaite, V., Grainger, A. & Brice, J. (2023). A New Hope? FIFA 2.0, Women’s Football Strategy, and event bidding for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Soccer & Society. DOI: 10.1080/14660970.2023.2214512.
  • Beissel, A.S. (2023). United as One: The conjunctural politics of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup. In S. Chadwick, P. Widdop, & M. Goldman (Eds.), The geopolitical economy of sport – Pivotal moments in a new era. Chapter 23. Routledge. ISBN: 9781032390598.
  • Women’s World Cup and Australia’s sporting ambitions: A Decade of Green and Gold. In A.S. Beissel, V. Postlethwaite, Grainger, A., and J. Brice (Eds.), The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Politics, representation, and management. Routledge. (pp. 189-205). ISBN: 9781032459035.
  • Brice, J., Grainger, A., Beissel, A.S., Posthlethwaite, V. (2023). An analysis of Aotearoa New Zealand’s leverage strategies for the Women’s Cricket, Rugby, and Football World Cups. In A.S. Beissel, V. Postlethwaite, Grainger, A., and J. Brice (Eds.), The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Politics, representation, and management. (pp. 175-188). Routledge. ISBN: 9781032459035.
  • Crabill, E., Maddox, C., & Beissel, A.S. (2023). A content analysis of Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand online news media coverage of the bid process for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: We did it. In A.S. Beissel, V. Postlethwaite, Grainger, A., and J. Brice (Eds.), The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Politics, representation, and management. (pp. 145-157). Routledge. ISBN: 9781032459035.
  • Beissel, A.S., Postlethwaite, V., & Grainger, A., & Brice, J., (2023). Gender, branding, and the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand As One 2023 social media strategy: Winning the Women’s World Cup. In A.S. Beissel, V. Postlethwaite, Grainger, A., and J. Brice (Eds.), The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Politics, representation, and management. (pp. 124-145). Routledge. ISBN: 9781032459035.
  • Beissel, A.S., Postlethwaite, V., Grainger, A., & Brice, J., (2023). As One 2023, conjunctural politics, and commercialisation of gender equality and women’s empowerment: The force awakens. In A.S. Beissel, V. Postlethwaite, Grainger, A., and J. Brice (Eds.), The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Politics, representation, and management. (pp. 100-123). Routledge. ISBN: 9781032459035.
  • Beissel, A.S., Postlethwaite, V., Grainger, A., & Brice, J., (2023). FIFA 2.0, FIFA Women’s Football Strategy, and the bid process for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: A new hope. In A.S. Beissel, V. Postlethwaite, Grainger, A., and J. Brice (Eds.), The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Politics, representation, and management. Routledge. (pp. 85-99). Routledge. ISBN: 9781032459035.
  • Postlethwaite, V., Beissel, A.S., Brice, J., & Grainger, A. (2023). Tracing FIFA’s “flagship women’s competition” and its use of legacy from 1991 to 2023. In A.S. Beissel, V. Postlethwaite, Grainger, A., and J. Brice (Eds.), The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup: Politics, representation, and management. Routledge. (pp. 60-83). ISBN: 9781032459035.
  • Friedman, M. & Beissel, A.S. (2023). Supercharging the mallpark. In M. Friedman, Mallparks: Baseball Stadiums and the culture of consumption. (Chapter 9). Cornell Publishing. 
  • Beissel, A.S. & Andrews, D.L. (2023). Disaster football: billionaire owners, shock therapy, and the exploitation of the COVID-19 pandemic in European football. In Andrews, D.L, Newman, J.I., & Thorpe, H., Sport and physical culture in global pandemic times: COVID. assemblages. (pp. 740-771). Palgrave McMillan. ISBN: 9783031143861. 
  • Crabill, E., Maddox, C., & Beissel, A.S. (2022). We did it: Women’s World Cup 2023 analysis of online news media. International Journal of Sport Communication. 16(1). DOI: 10.1123/ijsc.2022-0133
  • Beissel, A.S., & Ternes, N. (2022). The Empire Strikes Back: FIFA 2.0, global peacemaking, and the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup United Bid. Journal of Global Sport Management. DOI: 10.1080/24704067.2022.2116589.
  • Brice, J., Grainger, A., Beissel, A.S., Postlethwaite, V. (2022). The World Cup Trilogy: An analysis of Aotearoa New Zealand’s hosting of three women’s sport mega-events to leverage gender initiatives and programmes. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics. DOI: 10.1080/19406940.2022.2117839.
  • Beissel, A.S., & Andrews, D.L. (2022). Sport, globalization, and glocalization. In Wenner, L. (Ed.), (Chapter 10). The Oxford Handbook of Sport & Society. Oxford University Press.
  • Beissel, A.S., & McLeod, C. (2022). The Corporeal Sport Economy. In J. I. Newman, D. L. Andrews, & R. Pitter (Eds.), The Active Body: A Socio-Cultural Introduction. (pp. 72-89). Human Kinetics. ISBN: 1450468659.
  • King-White, R., & Beissel, A.S., Clevenger, S. (2021). Trust me, don’t trust me: Administrative governance and the shift to big-time athletics at Towson University. Journal of Intercollegiate Athletics. 14, 626-651. 
  • Beissel, A.S., Postlethwaite, V., & Grainger, A. (2021). “Winning the Women’s World Cup”: Gender, branding, and the Australia-New Zealand AS ONE 2023 social media strategy for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Sport In Society: Special Issue on Sport Mega-Events of the 2020s – Governance, Impacts, and Controversies. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2021.1980780
  • Beissel, A.S., Grainger, A.G., & Morris, S.P. (2021). Going global: Developing, designing, and delivering a high-impact short-term, faculty-led study abroad for sport management students. In Rayner, M. & T. Webb (Eds.). Global Perspectives on Sport Management Education: Implications for Practice. (pp. 86-109). Routledge. ISBN: 9780367690267.
  • Ruihley, B. & Beissel, A.S. (2021). EconFantasy simulation and practice: Implications of research-led teaching. In Rayner, M. & T. Webb (Eds.). Global Perspectives on Sport Management Education: Implications for Practice. (pp. 58-72). Routledge. ISBN: 9780367690267.
  • Beissel, A.S., & Kohe, G. (2020). United as one: the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup hosting vision and the symbolic politics of legacy. Managing Sport Leisure. Vol. ahead-of-print No.
  • Friedman, M.F. & Beissel, A.S. (2020). Beyond “who pays?”: Stadium development and urban governance. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship: Special Issue on Sport and Urban Governance. Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. DOI: 10.1108/IJSMS-04-2020-0053.
  • Beissel, A.S., & Andrews, D.L. (2020). Art of the deal: Donald Trump, soft power, and winning the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup bid. In Clift, B. & Tomlinson, A. (Eds.), Populism and the Sport and Leisure Spectacle. (pp. 234-253). Routledge. ISBN:  9780367356385.
  • Beissel, A.S. (2019). Transnational corporations of football kin: Migration, labor flows, and the American Samoa MIRAB economy. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 44(1), 47-69. DOI: 10.1177/0193723519867684.
  • King-White, R.W. & Beissel, A.S. (2018). Sport in the aspirational corporate university: A genealogy of athletic programming development at Towson University. Sociology of Sport Journal. 35(4), 334-346. DOI: 10.1123/ssj.2018-0100.
  • Beissel, A.S. (2018). Confessions of a human trafficker: Inside the global recruitment system(s) and network(s) of international student-athletes in NCAA football. In King-White, R.W. (Ed.), Sport in the Neoliberal University: Profit, Politics, and Pedagogy. (pp. 170-192). Rutgers University Press. ISBN: 9780813587738.

Publications in Progress:

  • Postlethwaite, V., Beissel, A.S., Brice, J., & Grainger, A. (in review). FIFA Women’s World Cup and legacy: From absence to centrality. Journal of Leisure Studies. 
  • Friedman, M., Hindin, J., & Beissel, A.S. (in review). Producing a theme park city: A Lefebvrean Analysis of the Battery Atlanta. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research.
  • Grainger, A.G., Beissel, A.S., Haldane, H. (in preparation). Femininomenon: FIFA, Feminism, and disposable femininities. In Pringle, R. (Ed.) Handbook on Sport and Youth. Big Sport, Power, and Youth.