Beth Cianfrone
Professor - Sport Administration Kinesiology and Health- Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Health and Human Performance, University of Florida, 2007
Master of Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Florida, 2002
Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Florida, 2001
- Specializations
Sport advertising and sponsorship effectiveness
Sport marketing communications
Experimental design in sport marketing
Sport consumer behavior
- Biography
Dr. Beth Cianfrone joined Georgia State University in 2007. She specializes in the areas of sport marketing communications and consumer behavior.
Dr. Cianfrone is the Program Director of the Sport Administration M.S. program and Co-Director of the Center for Sport and Urban Policy. She teaches graduate courses in sport consumer behavior, communication, marketing, and management/leadership.
She is a current member of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM), Sport Marketing Association (SMA), and the Atlanta Chapter of Women in Sports and Events (WISE). She previously held positions on the NASSM Executive Council and SMA Executive Board. She serves/served on the editorial board for the Journal of Sport Management, Sport Marketing Quarterly, Journal of Applied Sport Management, Journal of Global Sport Management, and Sport & Entertainment Review.
Dr. Cianfrone has been recognized for her scholarship and teaching/mentorship. She was named a NASSM Research Fellow in 2015, the SMA’s 2019 Stotlar Award and 2022 Sutton Award recipient, and a National Academy of Kinesiology Fellow in 2022. In 2023, she received the College of Education and Human Development’s Outstanding Faculty Research Award at Georgia State University. Her research is widely published in top-tiered journals in sport management, marketing, and communication, and she co-edited a book—Branding in Higher Education: Every University Tells a Story. She works regularly with sport organizations to blend theory and practice.
She received her B.S., M.E.S.S., and Ph.D. in Sport Management, all from the University of Florida.
- Publications
Selected Publications:
Cianfrone, B. A. (2023). Brand management and social media. International Journal of Sport Communication, 16(4). https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.2023-0154
Bunch, N., & Cianfrone, B. A. (2022). “Posting more than just a Black Square”: NCAA student-athletes’ perceptions of the athletic department’s role in social media, racial justice, and the Black Lives Matter Movement. Communication & Sport, 10(6), 1023-1052. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F21674795221091814
McGehee, G. M., Cianfrone, B. A., & Kellison, T. (2020). Interaction of communication from the sport organization, media, and public perspectives: How does messaging relate and differ? Journal of Sport Management, 34(3), 229-239.
https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2018-0347Cianfrone, B. A. (2018). Rising above the clutter: Brand awareness of sponsorships. Sport and Entertainment Review, 3(1), 9-13. https://serjournal.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/ser-4.1.pdf
Cianfrone, B. A., and Baker, T. A. (2010). “The use of student-athlete likenesses in collegiate sport video games: An application of the right of publicity.” Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, 20, 35-74.
Cianfrone, B. A., and Zhang, J. J. (2006). “Differential effects of television commercials, athlete endorsements, and venue signage during a televised action sports event.” Journal of Sport Management, 20, 322-344.