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Faculty Profile
Stefan Szymanski
Professor of sport management
Name: Stefan Szymanski
Title: Professor
Program: Sport management
Q: Out of everything you're working on right now, what are you most excited about and why?
A: I've been working for the last two years with an organization called the Black Footballers Partnership. About 30% of professional soccer players in England are Black, and about 100% of all coaching staff in professional clubs are former soccer players, but less than 5% of coaches are Black. BFP is lobbying for concrete actions to address this problem, and I am working on statistical and policy analysis to support their work.
Q: What's one thing about your work that might surprise people or that people might not know much about?
A: Before I came to Michigan I knew next to nothing about Detroit, certainly not that Detroit had formally bid to host the Olympic Games seven times between 1938 and 1968. Studying this history and understanding how it interacted with the history of the city has been one of the most satisfying aspects of working here.
Q: What's the most meaningful or satisfying aspect of your work?
A: Whenever some one says to me, 'Interesting, I'd never thought of it like that.'
Q: If you could go on vacation anywhere, where would it be and why?
A: India during the Indian Premier League cricket tournament — probably the wildest spectator experience in the world.
Q: What's one thing you'd like to brag about (personally or professionally)?
A: Being an expert witness for the Department of Justice in the trial and conviction of corrupt soccer executives.
Before I came to Michigan I knew next to nothing about Detroit, certainly not that Detroit had formally bid to host the Olympic Games seven times between 1938 and 1968. Studying this history and understanding how it interacted with the history of the city has been one of the most satisfying aspects of working here.