Ph.D. Sports Administration, University of New Mexico, 2013, Minor: Educational Psychology (Quantitative Research Methods), Dissertation Title: Evaluating Attitudes toward Women's Sports: A Scale Development and Validation Study
M.S. Sport Management, Middle East Technical University, 2008, Thesis Title: Consumer-based Brand Associations of Turkish Soccer Teams
M.S. Management of Sport Industries, University of New Haven, 2007
B.A. Economics, Ankara University, 1999
Ceyda Mumcu is an expert in fan behavior, sport marketing, women’s sports marketing, media representation of female athletes and marketing analytics, and she was the co-author of the first study on marketing sport to LGBT fans.
This groundbreaking study on the WNBA’s 2014 Pride campaign – the first professional sport league in the U.S. to reach out specifically to LGBT fans – found that targeted marketing was valued by members of the LBGT community, a key market segment, and did not compromise perceptions of the WNBA brand among its heterosexual fan base. She and her co-author presented their research at the North American Society of Sport Management Conference in Denver, Colo.
See MorePublished in Sport Marketing Quarterly, the article was downloaded by higher education, commercial, and governmental entities from 27 countries. Since the research was published, major sports leagues in the U.S. – the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB, MLS – and their franchises are pursuing the LGBT market segment as they implement marketing strategies to expand their fan bases.
An expert in data analytics, Dr. Mumcu co-edited the first textbook on analytics in sport management which is sold over 30 countries around the world and in every continent. She also published two case studies demonstrating the use of analytics and data-driven decision making in sport management context. Both are often used as resources in training future sport managers. Recently, Dr. Mumcu and two of her students published a new case study examining WNBA player positions via a machine learning technique, which was derived from the students’ project in Dr. Mumcu’s Sport Business Analytics course. She published in Computers in Human Behavior, International Journal of Sport Marketing and Sponsorship, International Journal of Sport Management, International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing and more.
Dr. Mumcu recently joined an interdisciplinary research group of scholars, and their proposal, “Communicating for Justice and Equality: Women’s Sport and Corporate Social Advocacy” has received the Mary Ann Yodelis Smith Award for Feminist Scholarship and Mass Communication’s Commission on the Status of Women. The proposal also received a grant from the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication at Penn State University.
Dr. Mumcu annually advises more than 60 undergraduate sport management students and has organized networking events with Octagon, the New York Yankees, and ESPN. She is dedicated to the professional development of her students and consistently seeks experiential opportunities for her students. In 2022, Dr. Mumcu received the Excellence in Recruitment, Advisement, or Retention award at the university, recognizing her impact on student success and career preparation.
A former member of the Turkish Women’s Professional Basketball League, she played for eight years before moving to the United States. She received her Ph.D. in sports administration from the University of New Mexico and her M.S. degrees from University of New Haven and Middle East Technical University, in Ankara, Turkey.
REFEREED JOURNAL ARTICLES
Mumcu, C., & Lough, N. (2022). Pro softball fan segments: A two-step cluster analysis. International Journal of Sport Marketing and Sponsorship, 23(3), 485-504. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSMS-03-2021-0058
Mumcu, C., Lough, N., & Coyner, M. (2022). Motive-based fan taxonomy of professional softball International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 22(3/4), 161-188.
See MoreDarvin, L., Mumcu, C., & Pegoraro, A. (2021). When virtual spaces meet the limitations of traditional sport: Gender stereotyping in NBA2K Computers in Human Behavior, 122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106844
Lebel, K., Mumcu, C., Pegoraro, A., LaVoi, N., Lough, N., & Antunovic, D. (2021). Re-Thinking Women's Sport Research: Looking in the Mirror and Reflecting Forward Frontier, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2021.746441
Mumcu, C., Fried, G., & Liu, D. (2019). Buffer zone: Policies, procedures, and reality. Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, 29(1), 86-101.
Mumcu, C., & Mahoney, K. (2018). Use of decision tree model in sport management. Case Studies in Sport Management, 7(1), 1-3.
Mumcu, C., & Fried, G. B. (in print, 2017). Analytics in Sport Marketing. Accepted to appear in Sport Management Education Journal.
Mumcu, C., & Greenhalgh, G. P. (in print, 2017). Evaluation of Attitudes toward Women’s Collegiate Athletics. Accepted to appear in Journal of Sport Behavior, 40(3).
Mumcu, C., & Lough, N. L. (2017). Are fans proud of the WNBA's pride campaign? Sport Marketing Quarterly, (26)1, 42-54.
Mumcu, C., & Marley, S. C. (2017). Development of the Attitude towards Women’s Sport Scale (ATWS). International Journal of Sport Management, 18(2), 1-27.
Mumcu, C., Lough, N. L., & Barnes, J. C. (2016). Examination of Women’s Sports Fans’ Attitudes and Consumption Intentions. Journal of Applied Sport Management, 8(4), 25-47.
Mumcu, C., & Kocak, S. (2012). Brand associations of Turkish soccer teams. International Journal of Sport Management, 13(3), 324-338.
Edited Books
Brandao, M.*, Liu, J.*, & Mumcu, C. (2022). Analysis of the Women’s National Basketball Association Players’ Positions with Machine Learning. In C. Atwater, R.E. Baker, T. Kwartler (Eds), Applied Sport Business Analytics, Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. (*students)
Mumcu, C., Griffith, N., & Gianchandani, A. (2022). Sport sponsorship. In A. Gillentine, B. Crow & B. Newland (Eds.), Foundations of Sport Management 4th ed. Morgantown, West Virginia: FIT Publishing.
Mumcu, C., Kristiansen, E., & Thompson, A. J. (2021). International sports management. In P. Pedersen & L. Thibault (Eds.), Contemporary Sport Management 7th ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Mumcu, C. (2019). Business Analytics in Women’s Professional Sports. In N. Lough and A. N. Geurin (Eds.), Handbook of Business of Women’s Sport. London: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Publishing
Mumcu, C., Trendafilova, S. A., & Thibault, L. (2018). A North American perspective on international sports. In P. Pedersen & L. Thibault (Eds.), Contemporary Sport Management 6th ed. (pp. 396-417). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics
Mumcu, C. (2017). An introduction to analytics and data. In G. Fried and C. Mumcu (Eds.), Sport Analytics: A data-driven approach to sport business and management (pp. 17-32). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Publishing.
Mumcu, C. (2017). An introduction to analytics and data. In G. Fried and C. Mumcu (Eds.), Sport Analytics: A data-driven approach to sport business and management (pp. 91-114). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Publishing.
Mumcu, C. (2017). An introduction to analytics and data. In G. Fried and C. Mumcu (Eds.), Sport Analytics: A data-driven approach to sport business and management (pp. 115-129). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Publishing.
Fried, G. B., & Mumcu, C. (2016). Sport Analytics: A data-driven approach to sport business and management. London: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Publishing.
Book Chapters
Mumcu, C. (2016). WNBA and Its Marketing Campaigns. In Brenda Pitts (Ed.), Case Studies in Sport Marketing (pp. 117-124). West Virginia: Fitness Information Technology.
Lough, N. L., & Mumcu, C. (2016). Marketing Women’s Sports – A European versus North American Perspective (pp. 337-350). London: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Publishing.
Lough, N. L., & Mumcu, C. (2013). Commodification and Commercialization. In David Levinson & Gertrud Pfister (Eds.), Berkshire Encyclopedia of World Sport 3rd ed. (pp. 297-300). Great Barrington, MA.
Lough, N. L., & Mumcu, C. (2013). Sponsorship. In David Levinson & Gertrud Pfister (Eds.), Berkshire Encyclopedia of World Sport 3rd ed. (pp. 1185-1189). Great Barrington, MA.
Alay, S., Mumcu, C., Kocak, M., & Korkusuz, F. (2009). Investigation of consumer-based brand associations of Turkish soccer teams. 14th European College of Sport Sciences (ECSS) Conference Proceedings (pp.134-135). Oslo, Norway (June 24-27, 2009).
Mumcu, C., Xenofontos, A., Pegoraro, A. & Lough, N. (2022). Is Hockey for Everyone? Inclusivity of Hockey and NHL. Paper to be presented at Annual Sport Marketing Association Conference in Charlotte, NC (October 2022).
Lough, N, LaVoi, N. M., Pegoraro, A., Lebel, K., Mumcu, C., & Antunovic, D. (2022). DisruptHERS: A new model for women’s sport. Paper to be presented at Annual Sport Marketing Association Conference in Charlotte, NC (October 2022).
Mumcu, C., Lough, N., & Coyner, M. (2021). Fan Segments of a Niche Sport: A case of Professional Fastpitch Softball. Paper presented at Annual Sport Marketing Association Conference in Las Vegas, NV (October 2021).
Mumcu, C., & Lough, N. (2019). Segmentation of Women's Sport Fans: Identification and Motivations. Paper presented at Annual Sport Marketing Association Conference in Chicago, IL (November 8, 2019).
Huang, P., McGinnis, K., Mumcu, C., Suttiratana, S., & Tuakli-Wosornu, Y. (2019). Identifying coach and school characteristics facilitating the development of NCAA wheelchair basketball programs. Paper presented at North American Society of Sport Management (NASSM) Conference in New Orleans, LA (May 29-June 2, 2019).
Lough, N., Guerin, A. N., De Haan, D., McNary, E., Mumcu, C., Newland, B., Peetz, T., Sherry, E., Weight, E., Brown, B. (2019). The evolving business of women’s sport. Panel discussion presented at North American Society of Sport Management (NASSM) Conference in New Orleans, LA (May 29-June 2, 2019).
Mumcu, C. & Cakan, E. (2019). Does Olympic Games announcement affect stock markets? A Bayesian Casual Impact study. Paper presented at North American Society of Sport Management (NASSM) Conference in New Orleans, LA (May 29-June 2, 2019).
Mumcu, C. & Mahoney, K. L. (2018). Use of decision tree method in sport management. Paper presented at Sport Entertainment and Venues Tomorrow Conference in Columbia, SC (Mar 7-8, 2018).
Mumcu, C., & Lough, N. L. (2017). Can professional sport leagues successfully market to LGBT fans? Paper presented at North American Society of Sport Management (NASSM) Conference in Denver, CO (May 30-June 3, 2017).
Mumcu, C., Liu, D., & Fried, G. B. (2017). Buffer zones: Policies, procedures, and reality. Paper presented at Sport and Recreation Law Association (SRLA) Conference in Las Vegas, NV (March 1-4, 2017).
Mumcu, C., & Fried, G. B. (2015). Case Study on Analytics in Sport Marketing. Paper presented at Pedagogy Symposium at 13th Annual Sport Marketing Association Conference in Atlanta, GA. (October 29, 2015).
Mumcu, C., & Lough, N. L. (2015). How do fans evaluate WNBA’s ‘Pride’ campaign? Paper presented at 13th Annual Sport Marketing Association Conference in Atlanta, GA. (October 28, 2015).
Mumcu, C., Fried, G. B., & Mondello, M. (2015). Truly Teaching Sport Analytics. Paper presented at Association of Sport Business Conference in Athens, OH. (March 23, 2015).
Mumcu, C., & Greenhalgh, G. P. (2014). Evaluation of attitudes towards women's collegiate basketball. Paper presented at 12th Annual Sport Marketing Association Conference in Philadelphia, PA. (October 22, 2014).
Mumcu, C., & Barnes, J. C. (2013). Evaluating Attitudes toward Women's Sports. Paper presented at 11th Annual Sport Marketing Association Conference in Albuquerque, NM. (October 23, 2013).
Mumcu, C. (2012). Test content of attitudes toward female athletes scale. Poster presented at 10th Annual Sport Marketing Association Conference in Orlando, FL. (October 23, 2012).
Alay, S., Mumcu, C., Kocak, M., & Korkusuz, F. (2009). Investigation of consumer-based brand associations of Turkish soccer teams. Paper presented at 14th European College of Sport Sciences (ECSS) Conference in Oslo, Norway. (June 24-27, 2009).
Mumcu, C., & Kocak, S. (2005). Comparison of social anxiety and assertiveness levels of selected university students. Paper presented at 46th ICHPER.SD Anniversary World Congress in Istanbul, Turkey (Nov 9-13, 2005).
In the Media
Ceyda Mumcu, a professor of sport management, discusses the expansion of the WNBA and why players want to negotiate their collective bargaining agreement ahead of schedule.
In the Media
Ceyda Mumcu, professor of sport management, comments that the city of Boston could be a viable market for a WNBA team.
In the Media
Ceyda Mumcu, associate professor of sports management, comments on the WNBA's current popularity and what they are doing to keep the newest fans engaged.
In the Media
Ceyda Mumcu, associate professor of sport management, comments on the growing number of women’s sports teams being televised on major networks such as ESPN.
In the Media
Ceyda Mumcu, associate professor of sport management, discusses the growing fan base for women’s sports, including watching the games on national television.
In the Media
Ceyda Mumcu, associate professor of sport management, discusses the pay disparity in women’s sports and the lack of attention highlighting the successes of these leagues.
In the Media
Ceyda Mumcu, associate professor of sport management, comments that viewership on television for the WNBA has continued to grow since the onset of the pandemic.
In the Media
Ceyda Mumcu, associate professor and chair of sport management, comments on how women's sports are now prominent on digital media platforms, creating opportunities for a larger fan base.
In the Media
Ceyda Mumcu, associate professor and chair of Sport Management, was the first expert featured in op-ed looking at interesting research shared in October at the Sport Marketing Association Conference. She presented 'Is Hockey for Everyone? Inclusivity of Hockey and NHL.'
The Charger Blog
Ceyda Mumcu, Ph.D., will receive the Sport Marketing Association’s Lough Award, which was created in honor of Dr. Nancy Lough, Dr. Mumcu’s mentor and an advocate for underrepresented groups in sport marketing. Dr. Mumcu is being recognized for her commitment to research and teaching focused on promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in sport marketing.
In the Media
Ceyda Mumcu, associate professor and chair of sport management, says utilizing student-athletes for branding makes sense for products appealing to a younger audience.
In the Media
Ceyda Mumcu, associate professor and chair of sport management, says individual players have changed the business model in sports, especially for female athletes.
In the Media
Ceyda Mumcu, associate professor and coordinator of M.S. Sport Management, says that if tennis star Novak Djokovic is allowed to play in the Open and wins, it may not matter to his sponsors if he is unvaccinated.
In the Media
Ceyda Mumcu, associate professor of sport management, discusses how Simone Biles keeps her media coverage focused on athletics and not politics.
The Charger Blog
After conducting a series of studies, sport management faculty members Gil Fried and Ceyda Mumcu determined that the buffer zones around basketball courts should be larger to ensure the safety of athletes. Their findings are scoring them points in the industry.
In the Media
Ceyda Mumcu, assistant professor of sports management, and Gil Fried, chair of sports management, agree that expanding the buffer zone on the basketball court would make the sport safer for the players.
The Charger Blog
Professor Ceyda Mumcu tackles multiple research projects in addition to teaching, advising 60 students, and creating internship and networking opportunities for the next generation of sport managers and marketers.
In the Media
Ceyda Mumcu, assistant professor of sports management, will be delivering two public lectures at the University of Arkansas. She will speak on sports and marketing analytics.
University News
Ceyda Mumcu, an authority on fan behavior, told NBC News that inviting Melissa Etheridge, a lesbian icon, to sing the national anthem at Sunday’s AFC championship game between the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs has the potential to change hearts and minds.
In the Media
Ceyda Mumcu, assistant professor of sports management, notes that the choice of an out lesbian to perform at this high profile NFL game is notable since sports has the unique ability to unite people. Mumcu, who has researched sports marking to LGBTQ fans, says that Etheridge’s performance will spark conversations, allow interactions, and change hearts and minds.
In the Media
Ceyda Mumcu, an assistant professor of sports management, will be a part of a new research partnership that pairs the league with professors and consultants.
In the Media
Ceyda Mumcu, an assistant professor of sports management, comments on Nike’s new campaign featuring for NFL player Colin Kaepernick.