Brock University has retained its standing as Canada's top-ranked institution for sport management research contributions for the fourth consecutive year.
The annual assessment by the also placed Brock among the world's Top 10 for the second consecutive year. Brock earned a seventh-place ranking among 73 universities worldwide, reinforcing its position as a leader in sport management scholarship.
Researchers from Brock's Department of Sport Management (SPMA) published 63 papers that appeared in three leading sport management journals from 2015 to 2025.
The University's leading contributors each placed within the Top 100 authors, including Associate Professor of Sport Management Michael Naraine, Professor and Graduate Program Director Shannon Kerwin and Assistant Professors Ashley Thompson and Erik Lachance.
Naraine said the rankings reflect both the quality of the University's research and the ambition of its faculty.
"It's a testament to the high-quality work that we're doing," he said. "No other Canadian SPMA program has four faculty in the Top 100."
SPMA faculty regularly publish in three of the world's flagship sport management journals: Journal of Sport Management, published by the North American Society of Sport Management; European Sport Management Quarterly, published by the European Association for Sport Management; and Sport Management Review, published by the Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand.
For Naraine, Brock's success in the rankings reflects the feedback he hears from students, many of whom chose the University because of its reputation, alumni network and deep connections to the sport industry.
"Students come into the program because they see where our graduates are working and the impact they've had across the industry," he said.
Professional networks, mentorship and real-world experience are critical to career success in the field, Naraine said.
"It's a people-focused, relationship-centred industry," he said. "Who you know, where you went to school and who taught you all matter. Students want faculty who are connected to the industry and who can help them understand how theory applies in practice."
Naraine said students frequently return from experiential education placements and internships with a deeper appreciation for the connections between classroom learning and industry practice.
"Students hear from employers and industry leaders how relevant the work is that they're learning in class," he said. "They want to see not only theoretical advancement but also how that theoretical advancement is applied in a contextually relevant manner."
To learn more about the department's research and programs, visit Brock's Sport Management website.
Everywhere I see this online (except for in our older story) says Sports Innovation Space instead of Sports Innovation Project.
