Education

Ed.D., Sport Management, Texas A&M University
M.S., Sport Management, Texas A&M University
B.S., Exercise and Sport Science, University of Utah

Background

Michael Sagas became Dean of the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management at the University of South Carolina on June 15, 2023. Sagas came to South Carolina from the University of Florida, where he served as a professor of sport management and director of the Institute for Coaching Excellence in the Department of Sport Management.

With 12 years of department chair experience within the College of Health and Human Performance at UF, Sagas is well versed in academic leadership and management. He has held distance-education leadership roles in addition to significant experience in launching and scaling innovative distance-education programs.

Prior to his time at UF, Sagas served in progressive leadership roles at Texas A&M University, including associate department head, division chair and director of the Center for Sport Management Research and Education.

Sagas also has a strong research background focused on coach and athlete development. He founded the Laboratory for Athlete Development Research at UF in 2008 and has authored or coauthored more than 100 refereed journal articles. Sagas is a Research Fellow of the North American Society for Sport Management and has a successful track record of securing research funding from governmental and industry sources.

Research Interests

• Athlete development
• Sport career transitions
• Identity development in sports organizations

Recent Publications

Wendling, E., & Sagas, M. (2022). Career identity statuses derived from the career identity development inventory: A person-centered approach. Psychological Reports. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941221146703

Chun, Y., & Sagas, M. (2022). Integrated fan identity: Theoretical framework and conceptualization. Sports Innovation Journal, 3, 45-60. https://doi.org/10.18060/26069

Wendling, E., & Sagas, M. (2022). Development and validation of the career identity development inventory. Journal of Career Assessment, 30(4), 678-696. https://doi.org/10.1177/10690727211063374

Santos, J. C., & Sagas, M. (2022). Effects of time utilization on the well-being of college athletes. The Open Sports Sciences Journal, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.2174/1875399X-v15-e2208101

Kim, S., Connaughton, D. P., & Sagas, M. (2022). An examination of concussion education, management, and safety practices of girls’ high school soccer coaches. Journal for the Study of Sports and Athletes in Education, 16(3), 225-242. https://doi.org/10.1080/19357397.2021.1915692

Chun, Y., Sagas, M., & Wendling, E. (2022). The intervening effects of perceived organizational support on COVID-19 pandemic stress, job burnout and occupational turnover intentions of collegiate sport athlete-facing professionals. Sustainability, 14(11), 6807. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116807

Chang, M. J., Kim, J., Connaughton, D. P., Sagas, M., & Kang, J. (2022). The effects of CSR performance messages on fans' pride and intention to donate: The moderated mediating effects of similarity and ranking regarding CSR. International Journal of Human Movement Science, 16(3), 55-77. https://doi.org/10.23949/ijhms.2022.12.16.3.5

Santos, J. C., & Sagas, M. (2022). Differential effects of sport type and sport category on time demands and well-being of college athletes.  International Journal of Human Movement Science, 10(1), 22-30. https://doi.org/10.13189/saj.2022.100104

Wendling, E., & Sagas, M. (2021). Collegiate coaches’ work stressors and turnover intentions: The stress-buffering effects of perceived organizational support. Journal of Physical Education and Sports Management, 8(2), 22-33.

Lavoie, H., Schaefer, S., Desai, D., Sagas, M., Yurasek, A., & Leeman, R. (2021, October 21). Young adults’ substance use and sexual behavior did not differ between home and away football games: A consequence of COVID-19? APHA 2021 Annual Meeting and Expo, Denver, CO, United States. https://apha.confex.com/apha/2021/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/507184

Wendling, E., & Sagas, M. (2021). Is there a reformation into identity achievement for life after elite sport? A journey of identity growth paradox during liminal rites and identity moratorium. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.644839

Flaherty, M., & Sagas, M. (2021). Shifting the paradigm: A constructivist analysis of agency and structure in sustained youth sport participation. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.660080

Flaherty, M., & Sagas, M. (2020). Early recruiting in NCAA sport: An exploratory study of scarcity effects. Journal for the Study of Sports and Athletes in Education, 14(3), 165-191. https://doi.org/10.1080/19357397.2020.1759354

Pracht, D. W., Houghton, V., Fogarty, K., Sagas, M. (2020). Parents’ motivations for enrolling their children in recreational sports. Journal of Amateur Sport, 6(1), 81-99. https://doi.org/10.17161/jas.v6i1.8250

Wendling, E., & Sagas, M. (2020). An application of the social cognitive career theory model of career self-management to college athletes’ career planning for life after sport. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00009

Kim, S., Connaughton, D. P., Sagas, M., & Ko, Y. J. (2020). Concussion knowledge, attitude, and risk management practices of high school girls' soccer coaches. Physical Educator, 77(5), 829-853. https://doi.org/10.18666/TPE-2020-V77-I5-10189

Wendling, E., Flaherty, M., Sagas, M., & Kaplanidou, K. (2018). Youth athletes' sustained involvement in elite sport: An exploratory examination of elements affecting their athletic participation. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 13(5), 658-673. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747954118757436

Diop, A., Al-Emadi, A., Kaplanidou, K., Sagas, M., Elmaghraby, E., & Qutteina, Y. (2018). Examining the cross-cultural attitudes of Qataris and expatriates in Qatar, the host country of 2022 World Cup. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 9(3), 266-278. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-09-2017-0058

Wendling, E., Kellison, T. B., & Sagas, M. (2018). A conceptual examination of college athletes’ role conflict through the lens of conservation of resources theory. Quest, 70(1), 28-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/00336297.2017.1333437

Yoon, Y., Kim, J. W., Magnusen, M., & Sagas, M. (2018). Fine-tuning brand endorsements: Exploring race-sport fit with athlete endorsers. Journal of Applied Sport Management, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.18666/JASM-2018-V10-I3-8964

Darvin, L., & Sagas, M. (2017). Objectification in sport media: Influences on a future women’s sporting event. International Journal of Sport Communication, 10(2), 178-195. https://doi.org/10.1123/IJSC.2017-0022

Darvin, L., & Sagas, M. (2017). An examination of homologous reproduction in the representation of assistant coaches of women’s teams: A 10-year update. Gender Issues, 34, 171-185. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12147-016-9169-2

Ko, Y. J., Chang, Y., Jang, W., Sagas, M., & Spengler, J. O. (2017). A hierarchical approach for predicting sport consumption behavior: A personality and needs perspective. Journal of Sport Management, 31(3), 213-228. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2015-0142

Al-Emadi, A., Kaplanidou, K., Diop, A., Sagas, M., Le, K. T., & Al-Ali Mustafa, S. (2017). 2022 Qatar World Cup: Impact perceptions among Qatar residents. Journal of Travel Research, 56(5), 678-694. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287516652502

Kaplanidou, K. K., Al-Emadi, A., Triantafyllidis, S., Sagas, M., & Diop, A. (2016). Qatar World Cup 2022: Awareness of the event and its impact on destination and country character perceptions in the US tourism market. Tourism Review International, 20(2-3), 143-153. https://doi.org/10.3727/154427216X14724915340125