Professor’s Research Focuses on Impact of Women’s Sports in Advancing Social Change

For Ceyda Mumcu, Ph.D., research is an important way to explore issues that matter to her in the field of sports. As a former professional basketball player in Turkey who experienced unequal treatment firsthand, she is passionate about making a difference in women’s sports – and in pushing for change.

An expert in fan behavior, sport marketing, and marketing analytics, Dr. Mumcu has pursued scholarly work focusing on women’s sports, diversity, equity, inclusion, and change. Last year, she was invited to join an interdisciplinary research group of scholars, and their proposal, “Communicating for Justice and Equality: Women’s Sport and Corporate Social Advocacy” has now received a grant and an award that will support their work.

The group recently received the Mary Ann Yodelis Smith Award for Feminist Scholarship, which was awarded by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s Commission on the Status of Women. The proposal also received a grant from the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication at Penn State University.

“I always try to research and contribute to topics that are close to my heart,” said Dr. Mumcu, an associate professor and chair of sport management at the University. “I consistently put all my effort into discovering or generating insights, and being acknowledged for our contribution is incredibly fulfilling.

“Over the time I played sports, unequal treatment wasn’t just in terms of public attention or media and or corporate interest,” she continued. “It also happens with clubs and in organizational structures. It is something I experienced personally, and it is my life’s work, perhaps, to make a difference and help push for change.”

‘Great change for women’s sports’

The interdisciplinary group includes researchers that Dr. Mumcu describes as “incredible scholars” who are working on similar topics but come from diverse backgrounds, including communication and sociology.

“I am so grateful to be part of the research group I am working with,” said Dr. Mumcu. “It is encouraging that there are likeminded individuals who have been working for the same cause.”

"We can improve the world through more equitable opportunities for everyone."Ceyda Mumcu, Ph.D.

Dr. Mumcu says women’s sports in the United States, which have historically received considerably less attention than men’s sports, have recently enjoyed “remarkable” commercial success. During the pandemic and as our lives and societies have become increasingly digitized, she says viewership and interest have exploded.

“We have seen great numbers, great ratings, and exponentially increasing viewership,” said Dr. Mumcu, who was also a co-author of the first study on marketing sports to LGBTQ+ fans. “Social media engagement is increasing. Merchandise is sold out, and, in some cases, it’s backordered. This is showcasing great change for women’s sports.”

‘The power to change the world’

Women’s sports aren’t just leading the way in terms of increased interest. They are also on the leading edge of fostering social change. Dr. Mumcu says that, over the past several years, women’s sports leagues, teams, and the athletes themselves have been key players in pushing for change and in “amplifying the voices of society for underprivileged populations.” As a researcher, this was something that Dr. Mumcu found inspiring and worth exploring.

“This gave us an opportunity to research and determine that women’s sports are more focused and involved in social change and activism compared to the male sports,” she said. “That gives us the idea that we should probably examine how social advocacy is actually taking place in women’s sports. This is the greatest moment to focus on this research, as things are changing on a daily basis.”

Dr. Mumcu has been discussing these trends with her students, who, she says, closely follow sports and industry trends. She says that, like much of society, they are also likely to follow mainstream male sports more closely, and she hopes to help them see the bigger picture. The impact of women’s sports on social change and activism continues to be an important topic of discussion in her classroom.

“Students do not always recognize the impact women’s sports or female athletes are making,” she said. “This is an opportunity to make an impact on the growth of future generations of professionals. We always talk about sport as a social institution with the power to change the world, so our contributing to that change, no matter how small or how large, is going to have an impact on making a change. We can improve the world through more equitable opportunities for everyone.”