Dr. Jeffrey D. James is a Professor of Sport Management in the Department of Sport Management at Florida State University. Dr. James’ research focuses on the psychological connection people form with sport objects, whether that is a particular sport, team, athlete, or other sport object. Particular research interests include the processes by which individuals form a psychological connection to a sports team, and the cognitive and behavioral consequences of such connections. He has conducted research on the development and maintenance of fan loyalty, the transference of loyalty, and identification with a sports team. Areas of application include sport marketing, sport consumer behavior, sponsorship, and branding.
Dr. James has over 80 refereed works published in various journals including the Journal of Sport Management, Sport Management Review, Journal of Sport Behavior, Leisure Studies, International Journal of Sport Management, Sport Marketing Quarterly, Journal of Business Ethics, and the Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice. He has participated in over 100 presentations at various national and international conferences.
Dr. James was selected as a Research Fellow of the North American Society of Sport Management in 2008, has been the advisor to three students who have won the North American Society for Sport Management Student Research Competition (2001, 2005, 2008), and was named the 2017 Earle F. Zeigler Award winner by the North American Society for Sport Management. Dr. James was selected as a Sport Marketing Association Research Fellow in 2020, and as a Fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology in 2023. Dr. James is the Mode L. Stone Distinguished Professor of Sport Management at FSU, and he has chaired 41 doctoral dissertation committees to successful completion.
In his current roles with Florida State University, Dr. James serves as Chair of the Department of Sport Management and teaches select courses, including a Seminar in Sport Marketing, Sport Sponsorship, Sport Sales, and Sport Marketing. Dr. James is a member of the University’s Council on Research and Creativity, and is past-editor for the Journal of Sport Management.
Dr. James earned his doctoral degree from The Ohio State University, his master’s degree from Texas Technological University, and his bachelor’s degree from Texas Technological University.