Stacy Warner
Positions
Professor
Recreation Sciences and Sport Management
College of Health and Human Performance
Contact Info
warners@ecu.edu
252-328-0095
Publications in VIVO
Co-author Network
Map of Science
Co-investigator Network
Stacy Warner
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Overview
Publications
Research
Service
Background
Contact
Overview
overview
Dr. Stacy Warner is a Professor of Sport Management at East Carolina University. Dr. Warner, a former student-athlete at Lock Haven University and NCAA postgraduate intern, earned her master's degree from UNC-Chapel Hill, and her Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research is primarily focused on organizational structures that optimize community building and development in a way that improves the life quality for participants, employees, and fans. She is one of the most highly cited "community building" and "sense of community" researchers (Google Scholar, 2023). Warner's research has been awarded 19 grants (totaling $234,066; 12 funded projects between 2018-2023), and has been recognized both nationally (CSRI, 2010; 2013) and internationally (NASSM, 2009; SMAANZ, 2011) for its impact and contribution to the field. Dr. Warner achieved North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) Research Fellow status in 2013, an honor and distinction for high standards of research within the discipline. She also has been awarded NASSMSportManagementEducation Fellow Award for her achievements related to the scholarship of teaching and learning in the discipline.
She has authored 63 peer- reviewed publications, over 1/3 of which appeared in the top three ranking sport management journals: Journal of Sport Management, Sport Management Review, European Sport Management Quarterly.
In addition to her research background, Dr. Warner has acquired work experience in many facets of the sports industry, including positions within the USOC, NCAA headquarters, NCAA (Divisions I, II, and III) athletic departments, campus recreation programs, Upward Sports Christian youth leagues, and various large-scale sporting events, such as the NCAA Final Four, the Super Bowl, and the Special Olympic World Games. She has traveled to Tunisia (2019) and Uzbekistan (2023) on U.S. State Department sponsored Sport Diplomacy Exchanges. Warner received ECU's Honor's College Mentor of the Year (2020), ECU's International Teaching Award (2021), and ECU'sAchievement in International Service and Engagement Award (2023) for her efforts and committed to mentoring, teaching, and service. She serves on several journal editorial boards and was elected to two-terms as member-at-large for NASSM's executive board (2014-2018) and continued to serve on the board as the conference manager (2019-2022). Warner currently serves on East Carolina's University Athletics Committee as the Chancellor's appointee (2014-2016; 2021-present), as the graduate coordinator for the MS in Sport Management (2017-present), and the founding Director of the Sport and Community Development lab (established 2022).
Publications
selected publications
article
Addressing Isolation and Community Building via a Pickleball Practicum
SCHOLE: A Journal of Leisure Studies and Recreation Educati
2025
NIRSA student referees: Exploring the connection between sense of community and positive health and wellbeing outcomes.
Recreational Sports Journal
2025
The Engaged Learner: Undergraduate Research and the Super Bowl
Sport Management Education Journal
1-6.
2024
The Strength of Community: The Role of Social Support Networks in Sport Officials' Retention
Journal of Sport Management
1:1-11.
2023
Eliminating Barriers to Youth Sport in Greenville, North Carolina
Sport Management Education Journal
16.
2022
Managing mental health: Athlete help-seeking
Sport Management Review
2022
Refereeing as a Post-Athletic Career Option
Journal of Sport Management
36.
2022
Sport Management Faculty Members' Mentorship of Student-Athletes
Sport Management Education Journal
1:1-9.
2022
Female Sports Officials and Mental Health: The Overlooked Problem
Journal of Sport Management
1:1-11.
2021
NCAA Athlete Development and Retention: Administrators' Perspectives
Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics
14:694-716.
2021
Strengthening referees' Psychological well-being through engagement and authenticity
Sport Management Review
1-21.
2021
The Role of Community in Athlete Transgressive Behavior
Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics
14:285-303.
2021
COVID-19 and Sport: What Are We Really Missing?
Sport & Entertainment Review
6.
2020
Enhancing Holistic Learning through a Sport Management Short-Term Study Abroad
Sport Management Education Journal
14:97-106.
2020
Supporting young people with learning disabilities and related disorders through baseball: Introduction to a special issue.
Insights into Learning Disabilities
17:105-109.
2020
Tackling Difficult Conversations: Student-Athletes, Mental Health, and Emerging Technology
Journal of Athlete Development and Experience
2:109-117.
2020
Toward an integrative understanding of the youth sport system
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport
2020
Advancing college athlete development via social support.
Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics
87-113.
2019
Baseball 4 All: Providing Inclusive Sport and Leisure Spaces for Persons with Disabilities.
Journal of Global Sport Management
2019
Developing Sport Communities via Social Media: A Conceptual Framework
International Journal of Sport Management
19:44-56.
2018
NFL Play 60: Managing the intersection of professional sport and obesity
Sport Management Review
2018
Sport as medicine: How F3 is building healthier men and communities
Sport Management Review
2018
Yielding healthy community with sport?
Journal of Sport for Development
5:41-52.
2018
Development of the referee retention scale
Journal of Sport Management
31:514-527.
2017
Why Referees Stay in the Game
Global Sport Business Journal
5:27-37.
2017
The Use of Sport to Help US Adults Meet Physical Activity and Public Health Recommendations
ECU National Public Health Week
2015
Creating community via sport: A qualitative investigation of sport programming on campus
ECU Qualitative Research Symposium
2011
The experience of refereeing for females: Lessons for recruitment and retention
College Sport Research Institute's Scholarly Conference on College Sport
2011
case study
Big League Social Media: Cultivating Community Online
2019
To run or not to run? A community in crisis.
2015
chapter
Building Community and Culture for Sport Officials
2024
Community Sport
Routledge.
2024
Sport and sense of community
Routledge.
2024
Turning Points toward Sustainability: The Impact of COVID-19 on a Grassroots Sport Organization in Kenya
Routledge.
2022
Developing Sport for Women and Girls: Coaches and Officials
Routledge.
2020
Tournament Management in Little League: Who to Invite?
Routledge.
2018
Tournament Management in Little League: Who to Invite?
Routledge.
2017
report
Empowering unrepresented college athlete voices
2023
Student-athlete mental health: Utilizing teammates to foster help-seeking
2023
Student-Athletes, Help-Seeking Behaviors, and a Coach's Role
2021
Promoting HealthyCommunity for AAC Student-Athletes (Grant funded research report).
2019
Life After Collegiate Sport: From Athlete to Exerciser (Grant Funded Research Report)
2018
presentations
presentation
"Jugar Unificado: An International Perspective on Inclusive Sport" (Photo Elicitation Project)
ECU International Week
'Girls don't like competition': The college athlete perspective.
College Sport Research Institute's Scholarly Conference on College Sport
Athlete mentoring begins when class ends
North American Society for Sport Management Conference
Curriculum redesign: From anxiety to analytic skill development
North American Society for Sport Management Conference
Redesigning Sport for Social Change for Global Thinking and Local Action.
North American Society for Sport Management Conference
The American Faculty Mentorship and Perceptions of Student-Athletes.
The American Athletic Academic Consortium
What is the future of research on experiential learning in sport management?
North American Society for Sport Management Conference
Athlete-to-athlete informal help-seeking: A qualitative inquiry
Annual meeting of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity
Black athlete voices & virtual advocacy practice
North American Society for Sport Management Conference
Empowering unrepresented college athlete voices
American Athletic Conference Academic Consortium
The impact of everyday discrimination on athlete help-seeking
North American Society for Sport Management Conference
A Holistic Approach to Elite Athlete Development
Colllege Sport Research Insitute
A qualitative analysis on mental health needs of student-athletes
Kinesiology Research Day
Advocating for Athletes: How Coaches can Help
College Sport Research Institute Conference
Altering the emphases in sport programs: The oversight of hedonic rewards and sense of community.
North American Society for Sport Management
Athlete Identity
American Athletic Conference Academic Consortium
Athlete to referee career path
North American Society for Sport Management Conference
Athlete-to-athlete informal help-seeking: A qualitative inquiry
North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA)
Athletic Director Pay and Performance: Implications on the NCAA Community
NCAA Scholarly Colloquium
Baseball 4 All: Providing Inclusive Sport and Leisure Spaces for Persons with Disabilities.
Benefits of Service-Learning with Older Adults for Sport Management Students
North American Society of Sport Management Teaching and Learning Fair
Best Practices for Healthy Community
American Athletic Conference Academic Consortium
Black Athlete Voices & Virtual Advocacy Practice
North American Society for Sport Management Conference
Building Community Thru Sport: Lessons learned from NCAA Athletes
American Athletic Conference Academic Consortium
Building community on campus: Is football the answer?
College Sport Research Institute's Scholarly Conference on College Sport
Changing the Conversation: Athletes, Power-Dynamics, and Well-Being
North American Society for Sport Management
Community Outreach: Civic Mindedness of Student-Athletes versus Greeks
College Sport Research Institute's Scholarly Conference on College Sport
Competition and gender: Reconsidering the role of competition in sport
Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand Conference
Creating a sense of community: Lessons learned from sport.
Student Success Conference
Critical Conversations for Student-Athletes
6th Annual Student Success Conference
Crucial Dialogue: Advancing Athlete Well-Being through Enhanced Communication
College Sport Research Institute Conference
Developing Student-Athlete Communication Skills Through Immersive Simulation Experiences
Paper Presented at International Technology, Education, and Development Conference.
ECU and the Special Olympics Sport Diplomacy Exchange to Peru
HHP Experiential Learning Expo
Elite athletes & mental health: Building a help-seeking culture
North American Society for Sport Management Conference
Emerging Woman in Sports Leadership Summit
HHP Experiential Learning Expo
Experience and construction of mental health among female sports officials
North American Society for Sport Management Conference
Family Structure Instability and the Role of Connectedness via Sport for Youth
Society for Research on Adolescence Annual Meeting
From NARPs to PARPs: Transitioning from Athletic Identity to Exercise Identity
Northeast Atlantic Sport Psychology (NASP) & Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference
I'm not that kind of doctor: What to expect when expecting a Ph.D. A roundtable discussion on academic and non-academic pathways
North American Society for Sport Management
Impacts of Intentional Design on Sport Management Student Outcomes from a Short-Term Study Abroad
North American Society for Sport Management Conference
Management of sport for public health: Defining the field
North American Society for Sport Management
Meet the parents: Examining the parental experience in community youth sport
North American Society for Sport Management
Men's Final Four Experiential Learning
HHP Experiential Learning Expo
Mental Health Among Female Basketball Officials
North American Society for Sport Management Conference
Mental health, coach-athlete dynamics, and (in)congruent attitudes
Annual meeting of the the European Federation of Sport Psychology (FEPSAC)
More than just an internship mill: An example of using research on student-athletes' mental health to link sport management programs with athletic departments
Annual meeting of the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA)
Outcomes of Creating Community: Do Scholarships and Leadership Roles Make a Difference?
College Sport Research Institute's Scholarly Conference on College Sport
Participatory Action Research, Experiential Learning, and the Engaged Student
North American Society for Sport Management Conference Teaching and Learning Fair
Physical activity and aging service learning
Student Success Conference
Pickleballers' Sense of Community, Belonging, Well-Being & Age
North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA)
Publishing in JIIA: Tips from the Editors
College Sport Research Institute's Scholarly Conference on College Sport
Referee attrition: An exploration of former referees' experiences
North American Society for Sport Management
Sport Event Volunteers and Impact on Sense of Community
North American Society for Sport Management
Sport as medicine: Addressing delivery failures
Play the Game
Sport for Development and COVID-19: Responding to Change and Participant Needs
North American Society for Sport Management Conference
Sport, community, and health: The benefits and repercussions
North American Society for Sport Management
Sporting communities: A comparison of formal versus informal sport contexts
North American Society for Sport Management
Sports Partnership: Networking and Experiential Learning Opportunities
North American Society for Sport Management Conference
Strategies for effective recruitment and retention of referees
Applied Sport Management Association Conference
Student-Athletes, Community, and Outcomes. Presented at North American Society for Sport Management
North American Society for Sport Management Conference
Student-Athletes, Help-Seeking Behaviors, and a Coach's Role
American Athletic Conference Academic Consortium
Student-Athletes, Help-Seeking Behaviors, and a Coach's Role
American Athletic Conference Academic Consortium
Student-athlete mental health: Utilizing teammates to foster help-seeking
American Athletic Conference Academic Consortium
Students' Super Bowl experiences: Beyond learning to belonging
North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA)
Superbowl XLVIII Experience
HHP Experiential Learning Expo
Tackling Difficult Conversations: Improving the AAC Experience with Crucial Dialog
American Athletic Conference Symposium
Teaching Cost-Effective Community Engagement Strategies via Social Media Management
North American Society for Sport Management Conference
Team Cohesion: Predicting Performance, Anxiety, Retention and Satisfaction
College Sport Research Institute's Scholarly Conference on College Sport
The Impact of Everyday Discrimination on Athlete Help-Seeking
North American Society for Sport Management Conference
The Price of Winning: Cost-benefit Analysis of DI, DII, & DIII Athletic Programs
NCAA Scholarly Colloquium
The Role of Community in Athlete Deviance
North American Society for Sport Management
The Sport Industry: Study Abroad in Spain
HHP Experiential Learning Expo
The Super Bowl Learning Experience: Student Expectations v. Outcomes
North American Society for Sport Management Conference Teaching and Learning Fair
The Super Bowl and Research Experience
Greenville, NC
The community impact of a short-term sport event for adolescents
North American Society for Sport Management
The impact of athlete culture and coach connections on athlete help-seeking intentions.
Annual meeting of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity
The impact of athlete culture and coach connections on male and female athlete help-seeking
Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand Conference
The outcomes and benefits of creating healthy community on campus
Student Success Conference
The relationship between sense of community and wellbeing outcomes for university student referees
European Congress of Sport & Exercise Psychology
The strength of community: Social support in sports and official's egocentric networks
North American Society for Sport Management Conference
Why female umpires quit: A gendered examination of officiating
Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand Conference
Research
principal investigator on
Textbook project, Community via Sport: A Better Together Society
awarded by
University of North Carolina Press
2025 - 2026
Jugar Unificado: An International Perspective on Inclusive Sport
awarded by
Special Olympics North Carolina
2024 - 2025
The Special Olympics and ECU Unified Sport Youth Exchange
awarded by
Special Olympics
2023 - 2024
2025 Faculty Support and Reassignment Award for Research and Creative Activity
awarded by
ECU Office of Research
2024
Community via Sport: A Better Together Society
awarded by
ECU HHP Dissemination Funds
2023 - 2024
Empowering Unrepresented College Athlete Voices
awarded by
AAC - American Athletic Conference
2022 - 2023
Effective Social Support to Retain AAC Student-Athletes
awarded by
University of Memphis
2020 - 2021
Promoting Healthy Community for AAC Student-Athletes
awarded by
American Athletic Conference (AAC)
2017 - 2018
From NARPs to PARPs - Transitioning from Athletic Identity to Exercise Identity
awarded by
Temple University
2017 - 2018
Using Youth Sport to Enhance Parents' Sense of Community: A Mixed-Methods Approach
awarded by
North American Society for Sport Management
2011 - 2012
co-principal investigator on
Faculty Mentorship and Perceptions of Student-Athletes: 25-26
awarded by
AAC - American Athletic Conference
2025 - 2026
From Classroom to Community: Redesigning SMGT 3150
awarded by
East Carolina University Teaching Grants
2025 - 2026
Undergraduate Research, Sport Mega-Events, and the Engaged Student.
awarded by
East Carolina University Student Government Association
2023 - 2024
Undergraduate Research, Sport Mega-Events, and the Engaged Student
awarded by
East Carolina University Office of Engaged Research
2022
Effective Social Support to Retain AAC Student-Athletes.
awarded by
The American Athletic Conference
2019 - 2020
Critical Conversations for Student Athletes
awarded by
American Athletic Conference (AAC)
2018 - 2019
investigator on
Let?s play pickleball: An intergenerational approach to promoting social connections and community engagement
awarded by
Engagement Scholarship Consortium
2025 - 2026
NIRSA Student Referees: Exploring the Connection between Sense of Community and Positive Health and Wellbeing Outcomes.
awarded by
National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association
2023 - 2025
Sport, Community, & Aging: Pickleball's Intergenerational Advantage
awarded by
College of Health and Human Performance Committee for our Culture of Care, Belonging, and Opportunity Mini-Grant Proposal
2024
Student-Athlete Mental Health: Utilizing Teammates to Foster Help-Seeking
awarded by
AAC - American Athletic Conference
2022 - 2023
Student-Athletes, Help-Seeking Behaviors, and a Coach's Role
awarded by
AAC - American Athletic Conference
2020 - 2021
Service
professional service activities
North American Society for Sport Management Conference Manager
2018 - 2022
North American Society for Sport Management Executive Committee
2018 - 2022
North American Society for Sport Management
2013 - 2022
Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics
2012 - 2022
Case Studies in Sport Management
2012 - 2020
Drake Group Member
The Drake Group vision is to create an atmosphere on college campuses that encourages personal and intellectual growth for all students, and demands excellence and professional integrity from faculty charged with teaching.
2019
U.S. Delegate for State Department sponsored Sport Diplomacy Exchange
Selected as U.S. Delegate for State Department sponsored Sport Diplomacy Exchange to Tunisia (November 2019)
2019
NASSM Educator Award
2014 - 2019
Journal of Sport Management
2012 - 2019
Quality Sport in America Coalition (QSAC)
Fixing the US Sport Development System "The group we are forming is a coalition of the best minds involved in sport development. ; We will not be a celebrity based organization. Our goals are simple:
Establish a coalition of researchers and practitioners, in order to share the tremendous amount of work and information that has been developed.
Develop a strategy for a comprehensive examination of this problem, utilizing the vast network of experts in the field.
Request Congress to charge QSAC with the responsibility of preparing a study and developing recommendations on an amateur sport development policy, structure, implementation, and funding.
Be advocates for change and activating a comprehensive and research-based national sport development strategy."
2018
NASSM Doctoral Grant
2017
Sport & Entertainment Review
2015
Journal of Amateur Sport
2014
Background
awards and honors
ECU's Research & Scholarship Exemplary Trendsetters Award
conferred by
ECU
2023
ECU's Achievement in International Service and Engagement Award
conferred by
ECU
2023
NASSM Sport Management Education Journal Fellow Award
conferred by
North American Society of Sport Management
2022
U.S. Delegate for Sport Diplomacy Exchange to Uzbekistan
conferred by
U.S. State Department, PH International, and the Basketball Embassy
2022
College Sport Research Institute (CSRI) Research Fellow
conferred by
College Sport Research Institute
2022
Achievement in International Teaching Award
conferred by
East Carolina University
2020
Honors College Faculty Mentor Award
conferred by
ECU's Honors College
2020
U.S. Delegate for Sport Diplomacy Exchange to Tunisia
conferred by
U.S. State Department and World Learning
2019
Contact
located in facility
2406 Belk Building