Dr. Nels Popp is an Assistant Professor of Sport Administration in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of North Carolina. Prior to that, he spent five and a half years as an assistant professor and graduate program coordinator for the sport management program at Illinois State University. Popp earned his doctorate in Sport Administration from the University of Louisville.

Popp researches sport ticket sales and revenue generation for college athletics departments and professional sports teams. His work and expertise has been referenced in local and national media outlets such as ESPN.com, the SportsBusiness Journal, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. His research has been published in a variety of academic journals such as Sport Marketing Quarterly and Sport Management Review, while he has presented his work at numerous conferences, including the annual conferences of the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators, North American Society for Sport Management, and the Sport Marketing Association. In 2016, Popp was given the Award of Excellence for Undergraduate Teaching at UNC’s Department of Exercise and Sport Science and he was recently elected President of the Sport Marketing Association.

Prior to working in academia, Popp spent eight years working in small college athletics media relations. In addition, he spent three years working in the front office for basketball clubs in Queensland, Australia, including a stint with the Cairns Taipans of the National Basketball League. Popp has also done market research contract work with a variety of sport organizations such as the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Missouri Valley Conference, the Durham Bulls, and the Bloomington PrairieThunder. He has also worked or volunteered at numerous events including Super Bowl XLVI, the AVP Beach Volleyball Tour, and the National Senior Games.