Senior Associate Dean
Falk College of SportProfessor
Department of Sport ManagementOrganizational Unit
- Falk Office of the Dean
- Department of Sport Management
Links
Location
Syracuse, New York, 13244Extras
Pronouns: He, HimBiography
Scott Tainsky (he/him/his) joined the Department of Sport Management in the David B. Falk College of Sport in July 2025 as a Full Professor and Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Academic Operations.Prior to joining Syracuse University, Tainsky was a Professor of Management and Director of Sport & Entertainment Management at Wayne State University since 2017. There, he was awarded the Mike Ilitch School of Business awards for innovative teaching in 2019 and excellence in research in 2020. Tainsky began his career at the University of Illinois, where he was a faculty member from 2008-2017 and Director of Undergraduate Studies in Recreation, Sport, & Tourism from 2013-2017.
Tainsky has served the field of sport management’s preeminent academic association, the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM), in numerous capacities dating back to his time as a doctoral student. These include stints on the Student Board (2007-2008), Nominating Committee (2008-2010, Chair 2009-2010), Diversity Committee (2014-2016), Strategic Communication and External Relations Committee (2017-2018), and Governance Committee (2018-2022), and as Treasurer (2018-2022) and Conference Section Head in Finance (2013), Economics (2015-2023), and Management (2024). Tainsky is currently Editor in Chief of the Society’s official research journal, the Journal of Sport Management.
Tainsky’s research lies at the intersection of the fields of economics and sport management. He utilizes quantitative analysis to research major professional, intercollegiate, and amateur sports. At the core of this research are the decisions made by high-level sports managers and how they impact both organizational performance and the collective well-being of fans. To date, his projects have focused on demand for tickets and game broadcasts, league efficiency, player performance, spillover effects, and corporate social responsibility in the largest U.S.-based sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA Football, U.S. Paralympics) and several abroad in Canada, China, Europe, and Africa. Tainsky has co-authored over 50 journal articles and became a NASSM Research Fellow in 2015.
Education
- Ph.D., University of Michigan
- M.A., University of Michigan
- B.A., New York University
Published Scholarship
Publications
- Mongeon, K. & Tainsky, S.A., 2025. Advising the Next Generation: A Sports Management Consultant’s Analysis of the Canadian Hockey League’s Draft and Player Agreement System, Human Kinetics.
- Tainsky, S., Kerwin, S. and Mason, D.S., 2025. Conceptualizing Theory Development in Sport Management: An Introduction. Journal of Sport Management, [online] 39(1), pp.1–2. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2024-0385.
- Tainsky, S., Kerwin, S. and Salaga, S., 2025. Directions in Fandom and Spectatorship. Journal of Sport Management, [online] 39(3), pp.145–146. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2025-0068.
- Tainsky, S., Kerwin, S. and Hee Kwak, D., 2025. Internationalization in the Field of Sport Management. Journal of Sport Management, [online] 39(4), pp.225–226. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2025-0138.
- Tainsky, S., Kerwin, S. and Welty Peachey, J., 2025. Introduction to Reflexivity in Sport Management Research. Journal of Sport Management, [online] 39(2), pp.77–78. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2025-0005.
- Burton, L., Kerwin, S. & Tainsky, S.A., 2025. (Re) Considering Impact in Sport Management. Journal of Sport Management, 39(6), pp.393–394.
- Agha, N. et al., 2025. Innovative Quantitative Approaches in Sport Management. Journal of Sport Management, 39(5), pp.309–310.
- Webb, T., DeSchriver, T.D., Tainsky, S. and Simion, A.M., 2025. The Impact of College Football Games on the Hotel Industry: A Market Comparison. Journal of Sport Management, [online] 39(5), pp.364–374. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2024-0216.
- Tainsky, S. and Kerwin, S., 2024. Examining Gendered Experiences in Sport Management: An Introduction. Journal of Sport Management, [online] 38(6), pp.381–382. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2024-0303.
- Davidson, A., Meng, M.D., Tainsky, S. and Olsen, M.C., 2023. A dual account of how excitement impacts risk-taking: Evidence from the National Hockey League’s 50-50 raffle. Sport Management Review, [online] 27(2), pp.280–299. https://doi.org/10.1080/14413523.2023.2276442.
Presentations
- Tainsky, S.A. & Lee, K., 2025. Analysis of Publications in Leading Sport Management Journals: A Topic Modeling Study. In Annual Meeting of the North American Society for Sport Management. NASSM.
- Simion, A., Tainsky, S. & Juravich, M.J., 2024. Worker Mobility and Performance in the NCAA Transfer Portal. In North American Society for Sport Management Conference.
- Simion, A., Tainsky, S. & Juravich, M.J., 2023. Worker Mobility and Performance: An Examination of Athlete Movement in the NCAA Transfer Portal. In North American Society for Sport Management Conference.
- Deschriver, T.D. et al., 2022. NCAA Football and the Derived Demand for Hotels: Evidence from Power 5 Football Games. In North American Society for Sport Management Conference.
- Simion, A., Tainsky, S. & Salaga, S., 2021. Credibility Loss Among the Generally-Wise Crowds and the Upsurge of Underdog Teams. In North American Society for Sport Management Conference.
- Davidson, A. et al., 2021. Do Excitement, Winning, and Losing Impact Risk-Taking? Evidence from the National Hockey League. In North American Society for Sport Management Conference.
- Tainsky, S., Salaga, S. & Hans, Z., 2019. Home Cage Advantage: Implicit Bias in MMA Decisions. In North American Society for Sport Management Conference.
- Salaga, S., Mondello, M. & Tainsky, S., 2018. NBA Television Ratings and Betting Market Outcome Uncertainty. In Southern Economic Association Annual Meeting.
- Kang, B., Salaga, S. & Tainsky, S., 2018. NCAA College Basketball Television Viewership: Does Consumer Preference for Outcome Uncertainty Change Over Time?. In North American Society for Sport Management Conference.
- Tainsky, S. et al., 2018. On the Road with Minor League Baseball Externalities. In North American Society for Sport Management Conference.
Active Service
Professional Service
- Editorial Review Board Member, Journal of Global Sport Management (active since: 2019)
- Editorial Review Board Member, Sport, Business, & Management (active since: 2018)
- Editorial Review Board Member, Sport & Entertainment Review (active since: 2014)
- Editor in Chief, Journal of Sport Management, Increased role from ERB member to EIC; appoint & supervise editorial staff; handle all submissions to JSM; manage content; expanded social media presence. (active since: 2024)
Honors, Awards, and Recognition
- Mike Ilitch School of Business Excellence in Research Award, Wayne State University
- Sue Garr Innovative Teaching Award, Wayne State University
- Research Fellow, North American Society for Sport Management
Memberships
- International Association of Sports Economists
- North American Society for Sport Management
- Southern Economic Association
- Sport Marketing Association
- Western Economic Association International
Organizational Unit
- Falk Office of the Dean
- Department of Sport Management