Conceptualising and Measuring Fan Identity using Stakeholder Theory

Conceptualising and Measuring Fan Identity Using Stakeholder Theory Rui Biscaia, David P. Hedlund, Geoff Dickson and Michael Naylor ABSTRACT Research question: Building on identity...

The Education of Sport Coaches: What Should They Learn and When Should They Learn It?

The Education of Sport Coaches: What Should They Learn and When Should They Learn It? David P. Hedlund, Carol A. Fletcher, Simon M. Pack, and Sean Dahlin ABSTRACT Around the world, there is a...

Multi-Dimensional Study of National and Olympic Team Identity

Multi-Dimensional Study of National and Olympic Team Identity Priscila Alfaro-Barrantes David P. HedlundMichael E. Naylor Sheila Nguyen ABSTRACT How individuals identify with sport objects is...

A Typology of Esport Players

A Typology of Esport Players David P. Hedlund ABSTRACT In recent years, esports have grown from a small number of local gaming activities undertaken by a few recreational participants to a...

Team Identification Full Circle

THE IMPORTANCE OF COGNITION, EVALUATION AND AFFECT Michael Naylor David Hedlund Geoff Dickson ABSTRACT Fans’ psychological connection to teams has long been of interest to sport...

Creating Value Through Membership and Participation in Sport Fan Consumption Communities

Creating Value Through Membership and Participation in Sport Fan Consumption Communities David P. Hedlund, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Division of Sport Management St. John’s University...

Classifying sport consumers: From casual to tribal fans

Classifying sport consumers: From casual to tribal fans David P. Hedlund, Rui Biscaia, and Maria do Carmo Leal ABSTRACT Sport fans rarely attend sporting events alone. While traditional consumer and...

National Pride Associated with Olympic Athletes and Teams

National Pride Associated with Olympic Athletes and Teams Michael Naylor Auckland University of Technology Priscila Alfaro-Barrantes Southern New Hampshire University David P. Hedlund...

Rebooting Content: Broadcasting Sport & Esports to Homes During COVID-19

Rebooting Content: Broadcasting Sport & Esports to Homes During COVID-19 Michael M. Goldman and David P. Hedlund ABSTRACT Beginning in early March 2020, sport in the U.S. entered an...

The role of culture in sports sponsorship: An update

The role of culture in sports sponsorship: An update Sara Keshkar, Ian Lawrence, Mark Dodds, Erin Morris, Tara Mahoney, Kevin Heisey, Francesco Addesa, David P. Hedlund, Geoff Dickson, Hamid...

David P. Hedlund, Ph.D.

Sport Management, Marketing, Consumer Behavior, Coaching, Analytics and Esports Professor and Consultant


David P. Hedlund, Ph.D. is a Full Professor and the Chairperson of the Division of Sport Management at St. John’s University in New York City. Dr. Hedlund earned his Ph.D. and a certificate in Measurement and Statistics from Florida State University.  He has more than 20 years of domestic and international experience in sports, esports, coaching, business, education and analytics. His areas of sport expertise and research include management, marketing, consumer behavior, sponsorship, coaching, esports and analytics. Dr. Hedlund also is a faculty advisor for esports at St. John’s University, an advisor for the student Sport Management Association, the Co-Moderator for the Gaming and Emerging Technology co-curricular club, in addition to numerous other service roles.

Dr. Hedlund is the lead editor and author of the first-of-its-kind textbook “Esports Business Management,” he is the founding Chief Editor of the Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports, and he is a member of the Esports Research Network.

Outside of the university, Dr. Hedlund has also acted as a consultant for dozens of domestic and international high school, college, and professional esports teams as well as business and entrepreneurial ventures.  He is a globally recognized speaker and has spoken at international esports events such as the World Cyber Games and the Global Esports Executive Summit. Dr. Hedlund also works with collegiate and professional sport organizations on numerous analytics projects, while also educating students about current issues and opportunities in sports analytics, esports, entrepreneurship and other opportunities.

Dr. Hedlund is also a managing partner of Hedlund-Chuang Consulting Group, LLC.