Brendan Riggin

Research interests

My research focuses on the social impact of sport and its potential for positively improving the health and well-being of individuals and communities. While I acknowledge that sport is capable of having both a positive and negative social impact, my research examines how sport organizations can take a shared value approach that addresses competing stakeholder needs, provides a competitive advantage, and develops economic returns for an organization, while addressing social and environmental needs. This approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR) is distinct from the traditional viewpoint, which has tended to focus solely on an organization’s benefits rather than on the constituents for whom the programs are intended. By conducting program evaluations, I have been able to identify opportunities for inter-organizational relationships and have provided feedback to stakeholders with recommendations to ensure the initiatives are effectively helping their participants, thereby having the greatest social impact possible.

Graduate supervision and student opportunities

I am available to supervise Honours Thesis (REC 471) projects and Directed Studies (REC 475) at the undergraduate level, as well as sitting on committees at the Master's and PhD level. I am interested in working with students whose research interests are related to:

• Sport Marketing
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Social Impact of Sport
• Consumer Behaviour
• Program Evaluation

Graduate studies application details

Teaching interests

In the classroom, I place an emphasis on facilitating students’ understanding of why it is that we are learning course concepts and how they can be applied in a practical setting. I aspire to create a learning environment that promotes this by creating course projects that encompass partnerships within the community. Through this approach, students can apply the skills that are learned in the classroom to address issues within the community and will be able to understand through a hands-on experience the importance of what they are learning. This allows students to find personal meaning and value in the material and see how the course is relevant and linked to their future success. I strongly believe in experiential learning and have created interactive learning environments whereby students work together on case studies or discuss issues with their peers, therefore affording the students the opportunity to not only learn from myself but from one another.

Courses

• REC 203: Sociology of Sport
• REC 213: The Business of Professional Sport
• REC 215: Marketing Recreation, Sport, and Events
• REC 419: Event Implementation and Evaluation
• REC 641: Issues in Leisure and Community
• REC 662: Foundations for Quantitative Inquiry

Education

BA (Honors Specialization), Western University

MA, Western University

PhD, Western University

Selected publications

Riggin, B., Danylchuk, K., Gill, D., & Petrella, R.J. (2019). Social Impact of a Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative. Sport, Business, and Management, 9(4), 344-362 doi: 10.1108/SBM-10-2018-0094

Blunt, W., Gill, D.P., Riggin, B., Brown, J.B., & Petrella, R.J. (2018). Process Evaluation of the HealtheStepsTM Lifestyle Prescription Program. Translational Behavioural Medicine, 9(1) 32-40 doi: 10.1093/tbm/iby005

Riggin, B. (2018). The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in Sport - The Roberto Osuna Case. Make It Our Business. http://makeitourbusiness.ca/blog/2018/the_good_the_bad_and_the_ugly_in_sport__the_r oberto_osuna_case.html

Blunt, W., Gill, D.P., Sibbald, S., Riggin, B., Pulford, R.W., Scott, R., Danylchuk, K., Gray, C.M., Wyke, S., Bunn, C., & Petrella, R.J. (2017). Optimization of the Hockey Fans in Training (Hockey FIT) weight loss and healthy lifestyle program for male hockey fans. BMC Public Health, 17(1) doi: 10.1186/s12889-017-4926-z

Petrella, R.J., Gill, D.P., Zou, G., De Cruz, A., Riggin, B., Bartol, C., Danylchuk, K., Hunt, K., Wyke, S., Gray, C.M., Bunn, C., & Zwarenstein, M. (2017). Hockey Fans in Training: A Pilot Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial. Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, 49(12), 2506-2516 doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001380.

Gill, D. P., Blunt, W., De Cruz, A., Riggin, B., Hunt, K., Zou, G., Sibbald, S., Danylchuk, K., Zwarenstein, M., Gray, C.M., Wyke, S., Bunn, C., & Petrella, R.J. (2016). Hockey fans in training (Hockey FIT) pilot study protocol: A gender-sensitized weight loss and healthy lifestyle program for overweight and obese male hockey fans. BMC Public Health, 16(1) doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-3730-5

Muise, S. B., Gill, D. P., De Cruz, A., Riggin, B., Pulford, R., Sibbald, S. L., & Petrella,R. J. (2016). Men’s Experiences with the Hockey Fans in Training Weight Loss and Healthy Lifestyle Program. International Journal of Medical Students, 4(3), 91– 95.