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Tyler Ratts Tyler Ratts
Assistant Professor
Sport Leadership and Management

Tyler Ratts

Contact Info

513-529-2704

Educational Credentials

  • Ph.D., Sport Management, Indiana University
  • M.S., Athletic Administration/ Sport Management, Indiana University
  • B.S., Sport Communication, Indiana University

Courses Taught

  • SLM 402 Reflections & Actions in SLAM

Research Interests

Leveraging my professional and personal experiences, my research is founded within two segments of the sport industry that I am passionate about: interscholastic athletics and fantasy sport. Specific to high school sport, my work focuses on advancing the efforts of athletic leadership as they strive to provide effective programming within an evolving landscape. This has included examinations of the wide-reaching responsibilities of athletic administrators, interactions among key stakeholders, and the pertinent issues currently facing this field. The research I conduct in the fantasy sport space aims to detail the motivations and experiences of participants and content creators as they produce and consume information collaboratively. Through these research lines, the following contexts embody my scholarly interests:

  1. Interscholastic Athletics
  2. Fantasy Sport
  3. Sport Administration
  4. Sport Management
  5. Sport Communication

Select Publications

  • Ratts, T. J. (In Progress). The end of education-based athletics? Examining the impact of the officiating shortage on high school sports. Target journal: Journal of Amateur Sport.
  • Ratts, T. J. (In Progress). Examining avenues for addressing officiating issues in interscholastic sport. Target journal: International Journal of Sport Management.
  • Ratts, T. J. (In Progress). Analyzing the perspectives of high school athletic directors on the officiating shortage. Target journal: Journal of Amateur Sport.
  • Ratts, T. J., and Ruihley, B. J. (In Progress). Connecting with the listeners: Strategies implemented by fantasy sport podcasters to build an audience. Target journal: Communication & Sport.
  • Ratts, T. J. (Manuscript in Revision). Communicating guidance on coaching evaluations through training and resources: A case study on Iowa’s high school athletic associations. International Journal of Sport Communication, 1-44.
  • Fraina, M., Ratts, T. J., Forsyth, E., Huberty, L., and DeMaio, M. (2026). A qualitative analysis of the financial issues facing Division II and Division III intercollegiate athletics. Global Sport Business Journal, 11(1), 86-109.
  • Ratts, T. J., and Ruihley, B. J. (2026). Analyzing the role of the audience in the fantasy sport podcasting experience. International Journal of Sport Communication, 19(1), 92-100.
  • Ratts, T. J., Forsyth, E. W., Fraina, M., Johnson J. E., Evans, Z. C. T., and Whisenant, W. A. (2025). Prioritizing education-based athletics: Perspectives of high school athletic administrators on this philosophy. International Journal of Sport Management, 26(4), 359-389.
  • Ratts, T. J., Forsyth, E. W., Evans, Z. C. T., Johnson, J. E., Fraina, M., and Whisenant, W. A. (2025). Examining the evolution of coaches issues in interscholastic sport. Global Sport Business Journal, 10(1), 108-126.
  • Ratts, T. J., Forsyth, E. W., Evans, Z. C. T., Johnson, J. E., Fraina, M., and Whisenant, W. A. (2025). Analyzing the high school athletic administrator role: Pressing issues facing the position. Journal of Amateur Sport, 11(2), 106-128.
  • Johnson, J. E., Navarro, A., and Ratts, T. J. (2025). Revisiting interscholastic competitive balance: A decade of trends on policy, participation, and public/private schools. Journal of Amateur Sport, 11(2), 28-58.
  • Ratts, T. J. (2025). The pursuit of work-life balance by high school sport practitioners in the athletic director-head coach dual role. Journal of Amateur Sport, 11(1), 20-44.
  • Ratts, T. J. (2025). Addressing perceptions of favoritism in the high school sport athletic director-head coach dual role. Applied Research in Coaching and Athletics Annual, 40, 31-62.
  • Ratts, T. J. (2025). Examining the support systems necessary for high school sport practitioners to manage the athletic director-head coach dual role. International Journal of Sport Management, 26(1), 1-22.
  • Ratts, T. J. (2025). “Wins and losses are secondary”: Analyzing the goals developed by high school athletic directors to evaluate coaching effectiveness. The Physical Educator, 82(5), 595-615.
  • Ratts, T. (2024). Analyzing the expectations of high school athletic directors on the role of head coaches within a performance appraisal. Journal of Amateur Sport, 10(1), 111-131.
  • Ratts, T. (2024). Examining how high school athletic directors leverage communication with key stakeholder groups to inform performance appraisals of head coaches. International Journal of Sport Communication, 17(2), 211-223.
  • Ratts, T., and Pedersen, P. M. (2023). Evaluating the evaluation: An analysis of how high school athletic directors engage in the performance appraisal process to determine coaching success. International Journal of Sport Management, 24(4), 342-375.
  • Ratts, T., Williams, R., Byon, K. K., Williams, A. S., and Pedersen, P. M. (2023). Evaluating the motivations driving fantasy football participants in selecting individual analysts for information consumption. Journal of Sports Media, 18(1), 127-151.
  • Ratts, T., Norris, B., and Mancuso, B. (2022). Evaluating the use of communication and technology by high school athletic directors to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Sport Communication, 15(4), 298-304.
  • Benedek, J. J., Ratts, T., and Pedersen, P. M. (2022). Marketing areas of oversight and organizational elements: A qualitative examination of the marketing of a sport within intercollegiate athletics. International Journal of Sport Management, 23(2), 111-138.
  • Tereso, D., Moro, S., Ramos, P., Calapez, T., Costa, J. M., and Ratts, T. (2022). Using profanity and negative sentiments: An analysis of UFC fighters’ trash-talk on fans’ social media engagement and viewership habits. International Journal of Sport Communication, 15(2), 93-102.
  • Benedek, J. J., Norris, B., Ratts, T., and Pedersen, P. M. (2021). Goal development and marketing evaluation: A qualitative examination of goals in the marketing of intercollegiate athletics. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 14, 574-598.