Cody Havard | SpeakerHub

Personal Details

Bio

I am a professor and Director of Research in the Kemmons Wilson School at The University of Memphis. I research fandom, group behavior, and rivalry, with a particular interest in how group membership is correlated with the various ways people view others.

I have over 80 publications (books, articles, book chapters) dedicated to fandom and how group membership can influence behavior toward others. I have developed the Rivalry Perception Scale (RPS), the Glory Out of Reflected Failure (GORF) scales, and have identified the Hierarchy of Out-group Derogation (HOD) and Out-group Derogation Spectrum (ODS). My work has been featured in ESPN, the Wall Street Journal, and many others.

My growing interest in entertainment such as streaming, theme parks, movies and television have given me the opportunity to pursue new avenues of study and discovery and have opened new doors for me.

I also produce and host the 'Being a Fan of Disney' Podcast to accompanies a class I teach at the university by the same name. I have interviewed many people about their Disney fandom, and have also been featured as a guest on several podcasts regarding Disney.

I have delivered presentations on topics such as sport rivalry, rivalry and out-group behavior outside of the sport context, using the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to help students acclimate to college, using the MCU to help academics navigate the research and writing process, and on the use of comic strips to teach young readers how rivalry can influence behavior toward others.

Research, Sport Rivalry Man comics, curriculum, and select presentations can be found at www.SportRivalry.com.

Current position (1)

Professor

The University of Memphis

Degrees (3)

B.S. - Sport Management

The University of Texas at Austin

2000 to 2004

M.S. - Sports Management

Texas State University, San Marcos

2005 to 2007

Ph.D. - Sport Administration

University of Northern Colorado

2008 to 2011

Presentations

Presentations (5)

The Power of Not Knowing (from someone who likes to think he knows a lot)

This was a lecture I delivered to Honors students at The University of Memphis on the path toward attaining knowledge. The central theme of the talk is about enjoying the fact that we do not know everything, looking forward to finding new answers and asking more questions, rather than feel the pressure of constantly trying to display how much we know.

https://youtu.be/LzxfXecXilY

Rivalry Lecture at the Great Plains Museum, University of Nebraska, Lincoln

This is a lecture I gave in spring 2019 at the Great Plains Museum at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln about how rivalry influences the way sport fans, and non-sport fans, view others. In this lecture, I discussed my work on studying rivalry in college athletics, and my work producing comics for kids that address the way people behave toward rival fans and teams.

https://youtu.be/0uev4EQZT68

Using the Marvel Cinematic Universe to Acclimate to College

This is a presentation I provide my students each semester about how they can utilize the themes and characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to acclimate to college and professional settings.

https://youtu.be/r2HdkHW_lEM

The Marvel Cinematic Universe as a Researcher's Muse

This is a presentation I gave to aspiring researchers about how they can use the characters and themes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to navigate through and find enjoyment in the research and writing process.

https://youtu.be/RmMxPab3Xvg

Sport Rivalry Man - Using Comics to Teach Rivalry and Appropriate Group Behavior

This is a presentation I gave on the development and use of the Sport Rivalry Man comics and curriculum to teach young readers how rivalry and group membership can influence the ways in which people view other individuals.

https://youtu.be/Z-pxcoY3bkI