University of Texas at Austin experts are available to discuss a range of topics related to the London Olympics, from the physical performance of elite athletes to the organization and management of a large-scale international sports event.
Nutrition and Athletic Performance
John Ivy
Teresa Lozano Long Endowed Chair in Kinesiology and Health Education
Chairman, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education
College of Education
512-471-8599
johnivy@mail.utexas.edu
Ivy wrote the landmark book “Nutrient Timing” in which he described the impact of when and what athletes eat and drink has on optimizing their physical performance. He has worked with companies such as the makers of Wheaties and PureSport, conducted studies on the effects of exercise on muscle metabolism and studied muscle insulin resistance. For more information, see: www.utexas.edu/features/archive/2004/nutrition.html.
Physiological Features That Limit or Enhance Physical Performance
Ed Coyle
College of Education
512-471-8596
coyle@austin.utexas.edu
Coyle, who’s on the International Olympic Committee Sports Nutrition Working Group, conducted the only long-term study of Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong to determine physiological differences that helped him excel. He also has conducted a study of Leo Manzano, a UT alumnus who will be competing in London, to look at physiological traits that enable Manzano to run faster than most. For more information, see: www.utexas.edu/features/2006/athletes/index.html.
Aging and Physical Performance
Hirofumi Tanaka
Fellow, Lee Hage Jamail Regents Chair in Education
College of Education
512-232-4801
htanaka@mail.utexas.edu
Tanaka is director of the university’s Cardiovascular Aging Research Laboratory and is an expert on how aging affects athletes’ physical performance. He has conducted several studies on how regular physical activity in can prevent age-related changes in arterial function and structure. For more information, see: www.utexas.edu/features/archive/2004/aging.html.
Sport Psychology
John Bartholomew
Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Endowed Faculty Fellows Fund
College of Education
512-232-6021
jbart@mail.utexas.edu
Bartholomew has spent more than 20 years teaching and studying sport psychology and can discuss the dynamics of athletic teams as well as common psychological traits of those who rise to the level of professional athlete. For more information, see: www.utexas.edu/features/2008/11/24/athletes_minds/.
Helping Locales Become Sport Destinations/Politics of Vying to Host Olympics
Laurence Chalip
College of Education
512-232-2373
lchalip@mail.utexas.edu
Chalip is coordinator of the university’s Sport Management Program. He studies strategies that cities, states and countries can use to position themselves as sport destinations and optimize their economic and social development, and he has consulted with local leaders across the world. For more information, see: www.utexas.edu/features/2010/04/26/sport_tourism/.
Bob Heere
College of Education
512-232-2120
bheere@mail.utexas.edu
Heere is author of the book “Het Olympisch speeltje” (The Olympic Toy) about the Netherlands’ bid for the 2028 Olympics, using that experience as a vehicle through which to examine the entire Olympics bid process, including instances in which the International Olympic Committee has overstated the benefits of hosting to encourage cities to vie for the honor. Heere’s general areas of expertise include the value of sport to society with a focus on community building, identity formation, health preservation and social cohesion. He currently is involved in projects in China, South Korea, Japan, South Africa, Serbia and the Netherlands.
Sports Facility Construction and Public Event Financing
Michael Cramer
Executive Director of the Texas Program in Sports and Media
512-471-2430
michael.cramer@austin.utexas.edu
Cramer is an expert in sports facility construction and public event financing. He is a former president of the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Stars and, more recently, a professor in sports management at New York University.
Sports Event Marketing
Angeline Close
Assistant Professor, Department of Advertising and Public Relations
512-471-8902
angeline@mail.utexas.edu
Close studies how consumers’ experiences at sponsored events influence attitudes and behavior. She recently co-edited a book, “Consumer Behavior Knowledge for Effective Sports and Event Marketing.”
Sport Doping and the Olympics
John Hoberman
Chairman, Department of Germanic Studies
512-471-4123
hoberman@mail.utexas.edu
Hoberman studies the intersection of sports, science, politics, public opinion and the Olympics. He is the author of “Testosterone Dreams: Rejuvenation, Aphrodisia, Doping,” “Mortal Engines: The Science of Performance and the Dehumanization of Sport,” and “The Olympic Crisis: Sport, Politics and the Moral Order.”
Thomas Hunt
Assistant Director for Academic Affairs, H.J. Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports
College of Education
512-471-0994
tmhunt@austin.utexas.edu
Hunt is an expert on doping and sports, especially the Olympics, and author of the book “Drug Games: The International Olympic Committee and the Politics of Doping, 1960-2008.”
Elite Athletes’ Performance Under Pressure
Arthur Markman
The Annabel Irion Worsham Centennial Professor, Department of Psychology
Director, Human Dimensions of Organizations
512-232-4645
markman@mail.utexas.edu
Markman researches a range of topics in the way people think. He is available to examine situational factors that might explain why some people perform well under pressure, while others choke.
Race, Sports and Culture
Ben Carrington
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology
512-232-6341
bcarrington@austin.utexas.edu
Carrington researches race, sports and culture, including topics such as sports, masculinity and the black cultural renaissance, the politics of race and sport policy, and blackness and celebrity sports stars.
