Rate My Professor Jen Zdroik

Jen Zdroik is Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Human Performance in the College of Allied Health and Nursing at Minnesota State University, Mankato. She earned her Ph.D. and previously served as Assistant Professor and Associate Professor, with affiliations in the Sport Management program. Zdroik's research interests center on sport management topics, including high school athletics, coaching experiences, provision of disability sports in schools, pay-to-play participation fees, participative decision-making, substance use among athletes, corporate social responsibility in professional sports, and revenue generation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her expertise extends to stakeholder management, volunteer motivations, and gender dynamics in coaching and networking within sport national governing bodies.

Zdroik has authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in prestigious journals. Key works include 'Toward Strategic and Authentic Corporate Social Responsibility in Professional Sport: A Case Study of the Detroit Lions' (Journal of Sport Management, 2014, with Kathryn L. Heinze and Sara Soderstrom); 'Lifetime Prevalence of Self-Reported Concussion Among Adolescents Involved in Competitive Sports: A National U.S. Study' (Journal of Adolescent Health, 2019, with Philip Veliz et al.); 'Participative Decision-Making: A Case of High School Athletics' (Journal of Sport Behavior, 2020, with Philip Veliz); 'The Provision of Disability Sports in Schools' (Pediatrics, 2022, with Cindy Piletic and Philip Veliz); 'Empty Stands and Empty Pockets: Revenue Generation in a Pandemic' (Case Studies in Sport Management, 2021, with Suzannah Armentrout and Julia Dutove); and 'Work-linked Coaches: Understanding Two Coach Households' (2025, with Suzannah Armentrout). Additional publications cover school board decisions on sport fees, substance use among sexual minority collegiate athletes, and examination of disability content in sport management textbooks. She presents at conferences such as the North American Society for Sport Management and Applied Sport Management Association, and engages with high school students on sport management careers, particularly for women. As Chairperson, she oversees programs like Exercise Science and Sport Management.