Dr. Jeff MacCharles joins the SCL Faculty
Jeff MacCharles joins the Department of Kinesiology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he recently completed his Ph.D. in Management (Sport Management concentration). Jeff has been teaching at the collegiate level since 2012 and has developed and instructed courses in Sport Management, Business, Psychology and Sociology. Jeff’s focus in the Sport Coaching and Leadership program will be building out the sport administration concentration in order to provide our students with an opportunity to develop the managerial and administrative skills needed to run athletic programs of various types and sizes. A native of Nova Scotia, Canada, Jeff also has an M.A. in Sport Management from London Metropolitan University (London, UK) and a B.A. in Psychology and B.S. in Biology from the University of Ottawa (Ottawa, Canada).
What drew you to Michigan State University?
The opportunity to teach at a public, land grant institution was a huge draw for me as its mission aligns closely with my own philosophies of higher education. As a Research-1 institution I also knew that it would be a place full of academic curiosity, which was also important to me. I also know that the Department of Kinesiology is highly respected for its faculty and its programs, so becoming a member of the department was an opportunity I could not pass up. I also really believe in the mission and goals of the Sport Coaching and Leadership program, and I wanted to be able to play a role in further developing its curriculum and expanding its reach.
What do you hope to bring to the Sport Coaching and Leadership program?
I believe that I can contribute in a number of ways. First, my experience and knowledge of sport administration topics will allow our program to speak directly to those students and prospective students who would really like to focus on a career that is more focused on administration than just straight coaching. I think that providing a robust administration concentration will allow program to grow even more than it already has in its initial stages. Second, since I first entered the world of sport management academia, I have believed that those individuals interested in pursuing coaching careers should have some knowledge and experience in the fundamentals of business and management. Often coaches are pulling double- or, even triple-duty working as coaches, administrators and maybe teachers, and they are often thrown into the “deep end” and tasked with “figuring things out as they go along”. I think that coaching education can support future coaches by exposing them to some of the critical administrative skills that can help them to find a stable footing as soon as they are given some type of administrative responsibility. I hope that in my role I’ll be able to develop and deliver some new courses that will speak directly to the needs of the current and next generation of administrators, coaches and coach-administrators.
What is your favorite class to teach?
That’s a hard one! I’ve taught A LOT of different courses over the years. I tend to gravitate towards the ones that have to deal with sport governance, policy and strategy, as that’s where you can get creative and come up with some great ideas for change. I did also teach a Sport Fan Behavior course a few years back that was really fun and interesting, though. I always think it is exciting when you get to step out of your comfort zone a little bit!
What are your research interests?
When I set out to begin my Ph.D., I knew I wanted to study the people who work in the sport industry – specifically why there was such a lack of diversity in the front offices of sport organizations. I’ve focused on investigating the experiences of traditionally marginalized groups in sport (e.g. women, racial minorities, sexual minorities) during all stages of their careers – during the application process, through hiring, and once they are employed in sport organizations. I’ve tried to understand the barriers that they see themselves, and how institutionalized norms in the industry have affected their career paths. I’m also really interested in how marginalized individuals, particularly sexual minorities, manage their identities in the workplace through covering, or downplaying, elements of their marginalized identities. I wholeheartedly believe that being able to bring your authentic self to work is critically important for one’s well-being, and too often marginalized individuals feel pressured to present something that is inauthentic to them. If the sport industry wants to better support and attract a diverse workforce, they have to be better at embracing people of all backgrounds for who they are.
Tell us something interesting about yourself!
My first foray into teaching was when I moved to rural Japan in 2005, fresh out of my undergraduate degree, to teach English in the Japanese public school system. It was a year of extreme culture shock but also tremendous personal growth. In hindsight I wish that I would have stayed for longer, but I actually had the opportunity to return to Japan, and visit my Japanese hometown, in 2018 as a member of an alumni program. I was one of eight alumni selected from over 100 applicants to return to Japan to conduct a project that demonstrated a commitment to Japan and to building international ties between Japan and the world. I drew on my sporting background and was able to run some clinics introducing the sport of curling (yes…another interesting fact about me is that I’ve been a curler for 27 years) to a segment of the Japanese population that may not have much knowledge of it. It was an amazing experience and it actually got me thinking more about the importance of international sport development. I’d love to do some international research on the topic – maybe incorporated with a course – in the future!