The motivations of esports players

The motivations of esports players (from the book Understanding esports: An introduction to the global phenomenon) David P. Hedlund ABSTRACT Since the early 2000s, several inquiries have focused on...

Esports Business Management

Esports Business Management David P. Hedlund, Gil Fried, and R.C. Rick Smith III SUMMARY Learn about the rapidly expanding esports industry in Esports Business Management, the first textbook to...

The use of DISC behavioral profiling and training: An innovative pedagogical strategy to enhance learning and future career opportunities through sport management and sport coaching in higher education classrooms

Elizabeth M. MasenUniversity of the Sunshine Coast David P. Hedlund, Ph.D.St. John’s University Jacob K. Tingle, Ed.D.*Trinity University Abstract:...

Comparing Sport Coaches’ and Administrators’ Perceptions of the National Standards for Sport Coaches

Comparing Sport Coaches’ and Administrators’ Perceptions of the National Standards for Sport Coaches David P. Hedlund, Carol A. Fletcher, and Sean Dahlin ABSTRACT The purpose of this...

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...

Those Who Rarely Attend Alone

Those Who Rarely Attend Alone: Tribal Sport Fans Chapter 5 David P. Hedlund St. John’s University, USA Rui Biscaia Coventry University, UK Maria do Carmo Leal Universidade Europeia,...

How to Differentiate Your Sports Management Program

How To Differentiate Your Sports Management Program David P. Hedlund, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Division of Sport Management St. John's University ABSTRACT David P. Hedlund is well...

Member identity in fitness centres and its consequences: An examination of members and managers’ perspectives

Pedragosa, V., Biscaia, R., Naylor, M.E., Hedlund, D.P. and Dickson, G. ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of member identity and its dimensions of power, urgency, external...

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...

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...

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.