Saad Alshamari

Saad Alshamari, from Doha, Qatar, received a B.S. in physical education from Qatar University and an M.S. in sport management from the University of Florida. His research areas of interest are in ticket sales, consumer behavior and the impact of hosting sport mega-events. While at UF, he worked as a student assistant at the department of TRSM and an assistant coordinator at the UF Athletic Association. Alshamari has worked in commercial banking, earned a Diploma of Refereeing (UEFA) from Nylon, Switzerland, and worked at the Asian Football Confederation and FIFA as an international referee. He also received an Executive Certificate in Marketing and Sales at Hautes etudes commerciales de Paris and a Postgraduate Certificate in Educational Leadership at the University College of London.

Deukmook Bae

From Seoul, Republic of Korea, Deukmook Bae received both his B.S. in physical education and M.S. in global sport management from Seoul National University. Bae's research areas of interest are in consumer behavior, consumer emotions and ticket pricing. In his spare time, Bae enjoys playing basketball and tennis, watching movies and time with friends. 

Ryan Dastrup

Ryan Dastrup is from Salt Lake City, Utah. He received his B.S. from Utah Valley University and his M.S. in Sports Management from Ohio University. Dastrup brings significant sponsorship industry experience and expertise as he has led client engagements with both brands, rights holders and agencies working across a wide range of industries. Ryan has experience in selling and activating sponsorship for the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Coyotes and Harlem Globetrotters. He has worked on market research, media evaluations and consulting for some of the largest brands and sports properties worldwide during his time with Nielsen Sports and Major League Soccer.

Rodrigo Feller

Rodrigo Feller is from São Paulo, Brazil. He received a B.S. in international business from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and an M.S. in sport administration from Ball State University. In 2016, Rodrigo worked at the Olympic Games as an NOC assistant, which led to his research interest in examining legacies left to host cities / nations after hosting the Summer Olympic Games. Rodrigo's research interests are also in the areas of international student-athletes' experiences and transitional challenges — interests he acquired due to his background as a former collegiate student-athlete.

William Fisackerly

Wil Fisackerly is from Englewood, Fla., and earned his Bachelor Science in sport communications and marketing, multimedia journalism and film studies from Florida Southern College and his Master of Science in collegiate athletic administration from Coker University. Additionally, he earned an undergraduate degree in film studies and a minor in economics as an undergraduate. His research interest is in collegiate esports with a focus on the development of competition infrastructure and the effect on higher education.

Courses Taught

SPTE 101 – The Student-Athlete Experience
SPTE 440 – SPTE Business and Finance
SPTE 550 – The Business of Esports

View Wil Fisackerly's CV

Rich Hart

Rich Hart joined the Ph.D. program in sport and entertainment management after first earning his B.S. in sport management from Hampton University and then a master's in sport business from Temple University. His professional work experience includes working in marketing and public relations with Comcast-Spectacor in Philadelphia (concerts, family shows, sporting events); boxing promotion at Philadelphia's legendary Blue Horizon; and sales/marketing with the Carolina Panthers. His research interests lie in socio cultural issues in sport, the intersection of race and sport, and the effects of stadium building on communities of color. With a love of all things Philadelphia sports, Hart also has musical talents that landed him a scholarship as an undergraduate at Hampton. Hart is the father to an incredible son, Elijah.

Courses Taught

SPTE 380 – Sport Marketing

Xiaoan Huang

Xiaoan Huang is originally from Beijing, China. Huang received his bachelor's degree in finance from Georgetown University and his master of finance degree from Johns Hopkins University. Huang has lived in more than six states and ten cities in the U.S. His research areas of interest include professional sport leagues, sport management in developing countries, college athletics, sport finance and sport economics. In his free time, Huang enjoys playing basketball, working out and listening to podcasts. His favorite food is Kung Pao chicken and Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

Chan Hyeon Hur

Chan Hyeon, from South Korea, received his Bachelor of Physical Education in Sports and Leisure Studies from Korea University and his Master of Sport Management in Global Sport Management from Seoul National University. His research areas of interest include sports economics (economic impact / legacy of mega sports events and others) and big data and analytics. He received Best Conference Presentation Award of "The 2019 Sport Issue Forum & The 31st Seoul International Sport Conference in Commemoration of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games" from Korean Society for Sport Management in 2019. He also served as a secretary at Korean Society for Sport Management (KSSM). Outside of academia, Chan Hyeon enjoys playing golf.

Jesse Kasser

Jesse Kasser is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Kasser received his Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Hofstra University and his Master of Science in Sport Administration from the University of Miami. His research area of interest is in collegiate athletics fundraising. Kasser has lived in five different states and worked for four collegiate athletic institutions. He enjoys college athletics, professional sports, friends, family, and mentorship.

View Jesse Kasser's CV

Grace Kazmierski

Grace Kazmierski is from Southlake, Texas, and was recruited to the University of South Carolina to compete on the Gamecock swimming and diving team. While at USC, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Public Health and Master of Education in Higher Education and Student Affairs. Grace’s research interests include college athletics, the Olympic Games, and sustainability in sport. She currently works as the Assistant Director in USC’s Office of Sustainability in addition to her studies. In her free time, Grace enjoys spending time near the water, watching football, and traveling to the mountains and coast.

Suji Kim

Suji Kim joined the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management in fall 2022. Originally from Chungju, South Korea, Kim received her bachelor’s in exercise, sports and leisure science from Ewha Womans University and later a bachelor’s in law from Korean National Open University. She also owns a master’s in civil law from Chung-Ang University and another master’s in law from the University of Minnesota. Her research interests consist of sports law pertaining to intellectual property, professional athlete contracts, sponsorships and mega sporting events. Kim is also interested in comparative research between American and South Korean governing sports bodies. In her spare time, she enjoys skiing, water skiing, golf, running, yoga and volunteering with animal organizations.

Eric Nichols

Eric Nichols hails from Blythewood, South Carolina. Nichols obtained his Bachelor of Science in Sports Management and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee-Martin. His research interests are in the area of athlete as a brand. He enjoys golf, traveling and odd tasks related to owning a horse farm. 

Deokkyung Ock

Deokkyung Ock is from Busan, South Korea. He received his B.S. in sport science and M.S. in sport management from Seoul National University, where he received a lecture and research scholarship in 2019. While there, he was also a member of the Handball Athletic Team. Ock's research interests include e-sport consumer behavior, sport marketing strategy and new technology-based sport. In his free time, Ock enjoys playing soccer.

Jiayao Chee Qi

Jiayao Chee Qi, from Hangzhou, China, earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Finance from Northern Arizona University and his Master of Science in Education - Sport Management from Baylor University. His research interests include organizational behavior and human resource management in sport. Chee also has experiences in mentoring at-risk undergraduate students from various backgrounds. He enjoys automobile track events and performance driving.

Christopher Scroggins

Chris Scroggins, from Waynesboro, Virginia, received both his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology / Exercise Science and Master of Science in Kinesiology / Sport and Recreation Leadership from James Madison University. Scroggins' research areas of interest are esports, underrepresented populations in sport, disability / adaptive sport, and social connectedness through sport. In his free time, Scroggins enjoys fishing and hiking. 

Kemardo Tyrell

Kemardo Tyrell, from Enfield, Saint Mary, Jamaica, received his B.A. in management information systems from Notre Dame College, and his M.S. degree in operations management from the University of Arkansas. Tyrell also obtained an MBA in business administration with a focus on finance and athletic administration from Idaho State University. His research is aligned to technology innovation and entrepreneurial engineering in the sport industry at the intersection of strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship, with special focus on the diffusion and adoption of innovation, psychological influences on consumer behavior and decision-making, entrepreneurial finance, and strategic analysis.

Courses Taught

SPTE 580 – Business Principles in Sport Management

Yutong Xu

Yutong Xu joined the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management in 2022. No stranger to the University of South Carolina, Xu received her Master of Science in sport and entertainment management from USC. A native of Feicheng, China, Xu earned her bachelor’s in international economics and trade from Zhejiang University City College prior to joining the graduate school. Her research focuses on the representations and discourses of females on esports social media. In her spare time, Xu enjoys cooking, baking, hiking, fishing and being around her five cats.

Tsu-Lin Yeh

Tsu-Lin Yeh is from Taiwan, where she studied information management for both bachelor's and master's degrees at Chang Gung University (CGU). She also received her master's degree in international sport affairs from National Taiwan Sport University (NTSU). During her studies at NTSU, she completed the one-year program of Master of Sport Administration (MSA) at Russian International Olympic University (RIOU). Her research interests are in the area of sport business management.