Matt Bowers

Dr. Matt Bowers is a faculty member in the Sport Management program within the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education. He earned his doctoral degree in Sport Management from The University of Texas at Austin in 2011. Prior to coming to UT Austin, he graduated with a B.S. and an M.S. in Sport Management from the University of Florida in 2005 and 2007, where he also worked with the Gators football and women's basketball programs. Foregoing a career coaching collegiate basketball, he instead pursued studying the systems we use to develop athletes, with an emphasis on understanding how to reimagine the youth sports experience.

Bowers works extensively in the field with a range of sport organizations in both research and consulting capacities. He has been intricately involved with the Aspen Institute's Project Play and has served on the Science Board for the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. He has published research studies related to the impact of sport participation on creativity and the value of sandlot/unstructured sports for children. His work has been featured in Sports Illustrated, SXSW, Wired, The Atlantic, and Wall Street Journal. He lives in Austin with his wife, Lauren, and son, Samson.