Matthew Bowers

Ph.D. in Kinesiology, University of Texas at Austin, 2011

M.S. in Exercise & Sports Science/ Sports Management, University of Florida, 2007

B.S. in Exercise & Sports Science/ Sports Management, University of Florida, 2005

Examines the management of systems for athlete development, including how different sport settings influence performance and participation over the lifespan. Focuses on re-imagining the youth sport experience, with a specific interest in the developmental role that playing in unstructured sports settings like sandlot/pickup sports or sports video games can have on shaping experiences and outcomes.

Appointed Member, Science Board, President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition(2019 - 2021)

Advisory Board Member, Healthy Sport Index, Aspen Institute's Project Play(2016 - Present)

Bowers, M. & Dixon, M. (2015). Sport management: An exploration of the field and its value. Urbana, IL: Sagamore Publishing.

Bowers, M., Green, B. & Seifried, C. (2014). 'Let the marketplace be the judge': Founders reflect on the origins and trajectory of NASSM. Journal of Sports Management.

Bowers, M., Green, B., Hemme, F. & Chaplin, L. (2014). Assessing the relationship between youth sport participation settings and creativity in adulthood. Creativity Research Journal(26), 314–327.

Bowers, M. & Green, B. (2013). Reconstructing the youth sport experience: How children derive meaning from unstructured and organized settings. Journal of Sports Management, 27, 422–438.

Bowers, M. (2011). Playing video games as a supplement to identity: Insights on former college athlete transitions. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 4, 289–308.

Bowers, M. & Hunt, T. (2011). The President's Council on Physical Fitness and the systemization of children's play in America. International Journal of the History of Sport, 28, 1496–1511.

Bowers, M., Chalip, L. & Green, B. (2011). Routledge Handbook of Sports Development (pp. 173–183). Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge.

Research Fellow, North American Society for Sport Management (2020)

Undergraduate Teacher of the Year, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education (2014 - 2015)

Faculty/ Teacher of the Year, University of Texas Kinesiology Club (2012)

Ciera Jones, Ph.D., expected 2022 (Co-supervisor)

Y. Andrew Hao, Ph.D., expected 2020 (Committee Member)
Andrew's research interests include: The (international) political history of the Olympic Movement, The history of sport and international relations, The history of (East) Asian sports, and The history of tennis.

Louise Amsili (Supervisor)
Women's access to leadership positions in sport Racial stereotypes in sport Sustainability in sport

Sport + Development Lab

Physical Culture and Sport Studies at the Stark Center

How to Choose a Sport for Your Daughter or Son