Sean Pradhan, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Sports Management and Business Analytics

“I do believe that one way to bring cultures together, to develop trust between people and countries and religions, is through education. And through music and art and basketball and activities and joys that people share worldwide, regardless of ethnic background or religious orientation.” – Coach Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors

Education

• Ph.D. in Sport Management, University of Michigan
• M.A. in Research & Experimental Psychology, San José State University
• B.A. in Psychology, San Francisco State University

Biography

Dr. Sean Pradhan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Management. Born and bred in the Bay Area, Dr. Pradhan earned his Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology at San Francisco State University and his Master of Arts (MA) in Research & Experimental Psychology at San José State University. He attained his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Sport Management at the University of Michigan (Go Blue!).

After completing his doctorate, Dr. Pradhan served as a project associate at NASA Ames Research Center in the Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory as part of the San José State University Research Foundation – NASA Human Factors Cooperative Agreement. He previously taught sport management and research methods at the University of Michigan, as well as statistics, survey design, and writing at San José State University.

Dr. Pradhan’s research program is founded upon an interdisciplinary approach to sport management. For example, his recent work includes examining the utility of various sports statistics and analytical techniques in player and team evaluation, the influence of athletes on fan behavior, and the effects of sponsorship initiatives in the context of consumption.

Dr. Pradhan is a lifelong Bay Area sports fan. He particularly enjoys watching the Golden State Warriors, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco 49ers, and San José Sharks.

Professional Activities

Selected Courses Taught 

• MTH 251: Statistics
• SMG 307: Research Methods in Sports Management
• SMG 308: Sports Analytics
• PSY/SMG 312: Sports Psychology
• SMG 402: Marketing and Advertising in the Sports Industry
• SMG 412: Economics of Sports

Research Interests

• Sports marketing and sponsorship
• Sports analytics
• Consumer behavior
• Social psychology
• Behavioral economics

Selected Publications

• Pradhan, S.& Marar Yacobian, M. (2021). Touchdown! Sentenced: Investigating disciplinary actions against Black and white male athletes in the National Football League (NFL) and criminality in United States society. The International Journal of Sport and Society, 12(1), 205-222. https://doi.org/10.18848/2152-7857/CGP/v12i01/205-222
• Pradhan, S., & Abdourazakou, Y. (2020). “Power ranking” professional circuit eSports teams using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM). Journal of Sports Analytics, 6(1), 61-73. https://doi.org/10.3233/JSA-190420
• Kwak, D.H., & Pradhan, S. (2020). “If you ain’t first, you’re last!” Understanding identity threat, team identification, and advertisement messages when your favorite team loses. Journal of Sport Management, 35(2), 158-171. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2019-0445
• Wong, L.R., Pradhan, S., Karasinski, J., Hu, C., Strangman, G., Ivkovic, V., Arsintescu, L., & Flynn-Evans, E.E. (2020). Performance on the Robotics On-Board Trainer (ROBoT-r) spaceflight simulation during acute sleep deprivation. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 14, 697. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2020.00697
• Kwak, D.H. & Pradhan, S. (2019). Fans’ responses to the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) pilot jersey sponsorship program: An experimental approach. Journal of Sports Analytics, 5(2), 121-136. https://doi.org/10.3233/JSA-180250
• Laraway, S., Snycerski, S., Pradhan, S., & Huitema, B. (2019). An overview of scientific reproducibility: Consideration of relevant issues for behavior analysis. Perspectives on Behavior Science, 42(1), 33-57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-019-00193-3

Selected Presentations

• Pradhan, S., Costedoat, G., Snycerski, S., & Laraway, S. (2021). “Quarantine cups and perennial chumps” Sports fans’ attitudes towards winners and losers in North American sports during the COVID-19 pandemic. Project presented virtually at the Twelfth International Conference on Sport & Society, Granada, Spain.
• Pradhan, S., & Alton, D. (2021). Travel factors in away games: A case study of a women’s college basketball team. Project presented virtually at the SLEEP 2021 Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
• Kealaiki-Sales, M., & Pradhan, S.(2021). “East? I thought you said weast!” The influence of travel on college football team performance. Project presented virtually at the SLEEP 2021 Meetingof the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
• Pradhan, S., Kwak, D.H., Laraway, S., Snycerski, S., & Costedoat, G. (2021). “Outta here!” The impact of outgroup salience and member status on sports fans’ evaluations of athlete performance. Project presented virtually at the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) Conference.
• Kwak, D.H., Pradhan, S., & Chen, R. (2020). “Speak up” Investigating professional sports teams’ #BlackLivesMatter statements on social media. Project presented virtually at the Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand (SMAANZ) Conference, Canberra, Australia.
• Pradhan, S., Gregory, K., Alton, D., Chachad, R., & Flynn-Evans, E.E. (2020). Examining circadian disadvantages in the National Basketball Association’s playoffs. Project presented virtually at the SLEEP 2020 Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

 Awards & Honors

• Outstanding Service Award. (2021). Menlo College. Atherton, CA.
• Ames Honor Award (Group/Team): Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory. (2020). National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center. Moffett Field, CA.
• Dean’s Scholarship Award. (2019). Menlo College. Atherton, CA.
• Doctoral Scholar Award. (2017). American Kinesiology Association (AKA). Champaign, IL
• Paul A. Hunsicker Memorial Award. (2017). University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, MI
• Rackham Regents Fellowship. (2015–2017). University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, MI.

Areas of Expertise

• Sports marketing and sponsorship
• Sports analytics
• Sports psychology
• Statistics
• Experimental design
• Social psychology
• Consumer behavior