Alex Gang
Alex Gang
Assistant Professor
Sport Management
WSU Pullman
Cleveland 265
509-335-7810
About Dr. Gang
Alex’s main field of expertise lies in the intersection of sport and democracy, which serves as a tool to explicate how sport can make positive contribution to democracy as well as to diagnose how the power relations in contemporary sport perpetuate various forms of inequalities. With a keen focus on three objectives, Alex’s scholarly endeavors involve identifying civic potentials within diverse sport contexts, theorizing sport’s role in democracy, and delving into critical issues within competitive sporting environments. Through his work, Alex is committed to shedding light on the transformative power of sports, not merely as a catalyst for personal growth but as a dynamic force for positive societal change.
Alex’s involvement in sport spans all three sectors in three continents, encompassing a professional career in soccer, service to public organizations, such as the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, and leading a sport non-profit organization. He played professional soccer for Incheon United FC in the Korean K-League, a top-flight professional league in Korea, where they reached the semifinals of the Korean FA Cup and won the U23 Reserve League. Collegiately, he had an All-American career at Oklahoma City University from 2007-10, where the forward earned NAIA national honors his junior year. His roots in competitive youth soccer extend to Germany where he represented FC Köln’s youth teams. His coaching background includes working as the Youth Academy Director for Seongnam FC from 2015 to 2017, along with a stint as the assistant coach for the men’s soccer program at Midway University (Ky.) in 2021. He was a volunteer assistant coach at The Citadel during the 2022 season.
Selected Recent Publications
- Park, J., Cho, J., Gang A. C., Lee, H. W., & Pedersen, P. M. (2024). Machine learning prediction of factors affecting Major League Baseball (MLB) game attendance: Algorithm comparisons and macroeconomic factor of unemployment. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSMS-06-2023-0129
- Gang, A. C., Griffin, R., & Pedersen, P. M. (2023). Identifying civic opportunity structure within professional football fan clubs. Journal of Sport and Social Issues. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/01937235231210264
- Gang, A. C., Lee, J. Y., Griffin, R., & Pedersen, P. M. (2023). Understanding the outcomes of associational involvement in football fan clubs: Assessing the validity of socialization and selection hypothesis. Leisure Sciences. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2023.2283856
- Lee, M., Gang, A. C., Kim, D., Yeo, I., & Pedersen, P. M. (2023). The role of emotions in the team-licensed merchandise consumption: Examining the relationship among team identification, team performance, emotions, and purchase intention. Journal of Global Sport Management, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/24704067.2023.2248149
Courses taught at WSU
SPMGT 367: Sport in American Society
Educational Background
- Ph.D., Indiana University – Bloomington, Sport Management, 2021
- M.A., Indiana University – Bloomington, Public Management, 2014
- B.A., Oklahoma City University, Political Science, 2011
Research interests
Research presentations
“Sport fandom’s contribution to democracy: How soccer fans socialize into good citizenship,” presented in Research Conversations, College of Education, Washington State University, in October 2023.