ECU professor publishes in Journal of Sport Management

Dr. Stacy Warner

An article by East Carolina University professor Dr. Stacy Warner in the Department of Kinesiology was published in the September 2013 issue of Journal of Sport Management.

Titled “Examining sense of community in sport: Developing the multidimensional ‘SCS’ scale,” the article discussed the need for an instrument that measures social benefits of sports.  The research was completed with co-authors Dr. Shannon Kerwin of Brock University and Dr. Matthew Walker of Texas A &M University.

The results of this work yielded a valid and reliable 21-item instrument to measure the sense of community experienced in sport setting. According to the researchers, sport organizations often claim that being able to quantify this social benefit is fundamental to justifying the benefits of appropriately managed sport programs or pinpointing weaknesses in its management. Specifically, the instrument assesses Administrative Consideration, Common Interest, Equity in Administrative Decisions, Leadership Opportunity, Social Spaces, and Competition.

Warner’s research interests are in the roles that sport and sport culture play in the lives of individuals through families, communities, work environments and social networks.  This research specifically focuses on organizational structures that optimize community building and development in a way that improves the life quality for athletes.