Gashaw Abeza, Ph.D.

Dr. Abeza is an Assistant Professor at Towson University (TU) and a member of the University’s Academic Senate, representing College of Health Professions. Before joining TU, Dr. Abeza taught graduate and undergraduate students at Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX) and the University of Ottawa (Ottawa, ON). He was a visiting research fellow at the University of New South Wales (Australia) and Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia). Prior to returning to academia, Dr. Abeza had a successful career in sport management and marketing at a global level, and currently provides consultancy services to a range of sport organizations around the world. His research interest is in marketing communication, with specific areas of expertise in digital media related to sponsorship, ambush marketing, branding, and relationship marketing. He has researched and written extensively on the topic publishing over 50 journal articles and book chapters in outlets such as Communication & Sport, International Journal of Sport Communication (IJSC), Journal of Sport Management, Journal of Strategic Marketing, amongst others. He has published four books. Co-authoring three of them: first “Implications and Impacts of eSports on Business and Society” (IGI global, 2019), then “Sport Sponsorship” (Rutledge, 2021), and a third one “Canadian Sport Marketing” (Human Kinetics, 2022). He is the lead co-editor of “Social Media in Sport: Theory and Practice” (World Scientific, 2021)”. Abeza serves as an ad hoc reviewer for a number of academic journals and was a special issue guest editor for IJSC on the topic of "Contemporary Issues in Social Media in Sport." Currently, he serves on the editorial boards of eight different academic journals: International Journal of Sport Communication; Sport, Business, and Management; Journal of Relationship Marketing; International Journal of eSports Research; Journal of Global Sport Management, Sport Marketing Quarterly, International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, and Sport Management Digest.

Select Publications 

Books

• Abeza, G., O’Reilly, N., Sanderson, J. & Fredrick, E. (2021). Social Media in Sport: Theory and Practice. World Scientific: Barcelona, Spain.
• O’Reilly, N., Abeza, G., & Harrison, M. (2021). Sport Sponsorship. Rutledge Book Series. London, UK
• O’Reilly, N., Seguin, B. Abeza, G., & Naraine, M. (in press, January 2022). Sport Marketing: A Canadian Perspective (3rd Edition). Human Kinetics.
• Finch, D. J., O'Reilly, N., Abeza, G., Clark, B., & Legg, D. (2019). Implications and Impacts of eSports on Business and Society: Emerging Research and Opportunities: Emerging Research and Opportunities. IGI Global.

Refereed Journal Articles

• Abeza, G., Braunstein-Minkove, J., Kim, A., O’Reilly, N., & Abdourazakou, Y. (2021). “Ambush marketing via social media: The case of most recent Olympic Games.” International Journal of Sport Communication
• Abeza, G., O'Reilly, N., Finch, D., Seguin, B. & John, N. (2020). “The Role of Social Media in the Co-Creation of Value in Relationship Marketing: A Multi-Domain Study”. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 28(6), 472-493.
• Abeza, G., O’Reilly, N., & Seguin, B. (2019). “Social Media in Relationship Marketing: The Perspective of Professional Sport Managers in the MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL.” Communication & Sport. 7(1), 80-109.
• Abeza, G., O’Reilly, N., & Seguin, B. (2018). “The Sequential Funnel-Based Focus Group Design: Adapting the Focus Group for Research in Sport Management”. Journal of Global Sport Management
• Abeza, G., O’Reilly, N., Seguin, B., & Nzindukiyimana, O. (2017). “Social Media as a Relationship Marketing Tool in Professional Sport: A Netnographical Exploration.” International Journal of Sport Communication, 10(3), 325-358.
• Abeza, G., O’Reilly, N., Seguin, B. & Nzindukiyimana, O. (2015). “Social Media Scholarship in Sport Management Research: A Critical Review. Journal of Sport Management.” 29(6), 601-618.

 Courses Taught

• KNES 280 Introduction to Sports Industry
• KNES 345 Seminar and Field Experience in Sport
• KNES 391 Sport Event Management
• KNES 396 Independent Study
• KNES 452 Sport Marketing
• KNES 454 Sport Sales and Sponsorship
• KNES 472 Revenue in Sport/ Selected Topics