Lynn Ridinger Selected for Distinguished Sport Management Educator Award

November 01, 2012

Lynn Ridinger, associate professor of sport management at Old Dominion University, has been awarded the 2013 Distinguished Sport Management Educator Award by the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM).

Ridinger, who has taught in higher education for 16 years, was recognized for her educational contributions to sport management. They include awards for teaching, research and advising, and generating more than $25,000 in funding since 2005 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer Research, by selling tickets to the annual ODU women's basketball "Hoops for the Cure" game.

Ridinger's sport management students have also been involved over the past decade in the Shamrock Marathon and its associated events, and have helped develop marketing plans for the semiprofessional Tru Hope Trailblazers basketball team.

As a researcher, Ridinger has been involved in actual research projects to aid the ODU athletic department. She has collected and analyzed data to gain a better understanding of ODU basketball and football fans. She has investigated topics such as fan motives, sponsorship recognition, service quality and sense of community.

In a letter to Ridinger, NASSM president Robert Baker offered congratulations, and a personal note that he couldn't be more pleased with her selection. "Based on your outstanding record of achievement, you are a most deserving Distinguished Sport Management Educator recipient," Baker wrote.

Ridinger will receive her award at the NASSM annual conference in Austin, Texas, next May.