Towson University professor is a textbook case of pandemic persistence
With research paused during the pandemic, TU professor focused on books
By Cody Boteler on October 27, 2021
Gashaw Abeza, an assistant professor in Towson University’s Department of Kinesiology, worked to make the most of his time during the lockdowns and other safety measures associated with COVID-19.
“It was almost impossible to gather primary data,” says Abeza. “So I shifted my focus to textbooks, which do not necessarily require primary data like journal articles.”
Abeza, who also represents the College of Health Professions in the Academic Senate, was lead co-editor on one book, co-author on a second and a third author on another. Social Media in Sport: Theory and Practice, the book Abeza co-edited, is the first comprehensive textbook on the topic, he says.
“We all know how important social media is to the global sporting culture. Key stakeholders in the sport industry use social media with millions of followers,” Abeza says.
Reviews of the book say it covers “all of the essential bases” and call it “outstanding,” “exhaustive” and “engaging.”
The other titles Abeza worked on are Sport Sponsorship Insights and Sport Marketing: A Canadian Perspective.
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He says the process of working on three books at once was challenging but rewarding and that he was glad to have talented colleagues across different universities—and within TU—to collaborate with.
“I strongly believe that bringing minds together produces a well-grounded research finding in social science. Collaborating with experienced researchers helped make the challenges much easier,” he says.