Lillian Feder // Diederich College of Communication // Marquette University

Assistant Professor of Sports Communication

Education

Ph.D., Public Relations and Organizational Behavior in Sport, Purdue University
M.S., Mediated Communication and Public Relations in Sport, Purdue University
B.A., Communication, University of California San Diego

Research Interests

My research agenda addresses the intersection between public relations and organizational behavior in the context of sport. Here, I evaluate the ways in which communication can empower athletes and athletic organizations to more effectively navigate the challenges they encounter as public-facing individuals and entities. My work to date has addressed athlete activism, crisis, and resilience through primarily qualitative and rhetorical scholarly approaches. My research aims to further develop our theoretical understanding of communication in sport contexts and to inform best practices for sport personnel and organizations. Much of my approach to research and teaching are also informed by my experiences as a former collegiate athlete and athletic administrator.

Professional Affiliations

International Association for Communication and Sport
National Communication Association

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Feder, L. B., & Zulli, D. (2024). Extending athlete reputational crises: Theorizing (under)performance-based sport-related crises and the flip appeal. International Journal of Communication.

Feder, L. B., Jackson, D. L., & Eddington, S. M. (2023). “We need to wake our world up”: Collegiate athletes organizing for social change. Communication & Sport, ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795231203863

Feder, L. (2020). From ESPN to Instagram LIVE: The evolution of fan-athlete interaction amid the coronavirus. International Journal of Sport Communication, 13(3), 458-464. http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.2020-0233

Book Chapters

Feder, L. (2023). Issues and crisis management in athlete activism: Colin Kaepernick and Take a Knee. In T. L. Rentner & D. Burns (Eds.), Social issues in sport communication: You make the call (pp. 86-96). Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003316763-10

Feder, L. (2023). Odell Beckham Jr. and LSU players (2020) In J. Sanderson (Ed.), Corruption and scandal in American sport (pp. 393-398). Bloomsbury.

Feder, L. B., & Smith, B.G. (2023). Athlete activism online: An examination of subsequent fan engagement. In M.L. Anderson (Ed.), Social justice and the modern athlete: Exploring the role of athlete activism in social change (pp. 256-276). Lexington Books