Welcome to the SCLA Faculty, Dr. Kim!
Sanghoon Kim is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology, with a focus on teaching courses for the SCLA graduate programs. He recently earned his doctoral degree in the Department of Kinesiology & Sport Management at Texas A&M University. Previously, he earned his master’s degree in Sport Management at Florida State University and a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology at Yeungnam University in South Korea. Throughout the courses and advising, he will provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary to become future leaders in sport organizations as coaches, administrators, managers, and decision-makers.
What drew you to Michigan State University?
Michigan State University is a prestigious institution with a long history and a solid reputation. More specifically, being a member of an R1 research university was an especially important consideration in my decision to Michigan State University. As for my position, the SCLA programs are strong and ever-growing, and as such, this is the ideal place for me to settle down and continue developing my career. Thus, by bringing my strengths to the program, I was and am confident that I will be able to contribute in a variety of ways to the ongoing growth and reputation of the program, department, and university.
What do you hope to bring to the Sport Coaching, Leadership, and Administration program?
Having recently renamed one of our concentrations to sport administration, my expertise and knowledge will be able to contribute to the course and program development by working with other faculty members. In addition to the students in sport administration, those individuals interested in pursuing coaching careers should have some knowledge and experience in the fundamentals of business and management. In this regard, my academic knowledge and teaching expertise can be applied to various courses, finally directly benefiting both the coaching concentration and sport administration students.
What is your favorite class to teach?
I have taught different courses over the years, but I think that one of my favorite courses to teach is sport marketing and management. This is because first I like participating in sports and watching sports and second, I get to see and discuss the latest trends in the sport industry with my students. Such discussions encourage students to be creative in their project work, while also inspiring new and innovative research ideas for me.
What are your research interests?
Based upon the social-ecological model, the central mission of my research is to build and disseminate the knowledge that can contribute to enhancing personal, communal, and societal benefits through sport. In line with this mission, my research agenda centers on understanding sport consumers’ experiences and responses to technology-mediated communications and environments from three different streams (i.e., social media, self-service technology, and virtual/augmented reality). Specifically, I am focusing on cognitive, social, and data-driven studies to better understand the sport consumer experiences within technology-mediated communication and environment, and the consumers’ psychological and behavioral response to them. It is my hope that my research activity provides useful insight into how sport organizations and practitioners can utilize various technological tools to make sports more accessible and enjoyable for more people.
Fun fact
I am seeing fall foliage for the first time here in the US. I have lived in the hottest states in the United States, including Texas and Florida, and even lived in the hottest city in my country. I am very excited for the cold weather to arrive, and a white Christmas with my family this year is something I look forward to.