Shushan Dai
Biography
Shushan Dai, Ph.D, is a visiting assistant professor in Sport Leadership and Administration. Her research focuses on how institutional structures, cultural norms, and market forces shape individuals’ experiences, opportunities, and forms of participation in sport. Her current research focuses particularly on women in sport, examining the gendered barriers and challenges they encounter across different sport contexts and seeking to identify pathways toward a better sport environment.
Degrees
Ph.D., Sport Management, Florida State University
M.A., Sport Management, Florida State University
M.A., Physical Education and Training, China West Normal University
Exchange Program, Education in English, National Taichung University of Science and Technology
B.S. Chinese Language and Literature, China West Normal University
Professional Publications & Contributions
Chen, R., Dai, S., Gulavani, S., & Su, Y. (2026). Digitalizing the playing field: A conceptual study of Chinese female soccer players’ live commerce on social media. Soccer & Society.
Chen, Y., Dai, S., Xue, H., & Newman, J. I. (2025). Exclusion in the Name of Dissuasion: Framing Moral Panic, Disposable Gamers, and Esport Regulation in China. Communication & Sport. DOI: 10.1177/21674795251348156.
Gulavani, S., Dai, S., Du, J., Sato, M., & Newman, J. (2025). Associative personalities: investigating the impact of gender personality congruence between sport brands and individuals on life satisfaction. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship. DOI: 10.1108/IJSMS-10-2024-0275.
Newman, J. I., Chahardovali, T., Rochon, R., & Dai, S. (2025). Qualitative Research, Scholarly “Performance,” and the Rationalization of Inquiry in Sport & Physical Culture. In Giardina, M., Donnelly, M., & Waldman, D. (Eds.). The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research in Sport & Physical Culture (6th ed., Chapter 4). SAGE Publications.
Dai, S., Xue, H., Newman, J.I. & Giardina, M. (2024). Hybrid Choreographic Femininities: DanceSport, Physical Culture, and Performative Corporeality in Contemporary China. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health. DOI: 10.1080/2159676X.2024.2313205.
Xue, H., Chen, R., Dai, S., & Newman, J. I. (2022). Measuring SDG 1. In McCullough, B., Melton, N., & Kellison, T. (Eds.). Routledge Handbook of Sport and Sustainable Development. London: Routledge.
Dai, S., Newman, J.I., Xue, H. & Du, J. (2021). The Dancefloor is now open: A dispositional analysis of the glocalization and sportification of Chinese DanceSport. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. DOI: 10.1177/10126902211043993.
Dai, S. (2021). Who should pay for the bill? 30 MLB clubs sue insurers to cover losses due to COVID-19. SportLitigationAlert, 18(3), 19-20.