Athletic Coaching: A Communication Perspective

Gregory A. Cranmer (PhD, West Virginia University, 2015) is Assistant Professor of Sport Communication at Clemson University and a fellow of the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute. His research focuses on optimizing the function of task-oriented groups, principally sports teams, via highlighting the underlying social dynamics that facilitate group performance and member experience. His efforts center around aiding (a) social exchanges and distributions of interpersonal and organizational resources (e.g., social support, information, or influence), (b) individuals’ integration into novel tasks, roles, and groups (i.e., socialization), and (c) the development of members through leadership and communicative strategies. His contributions to the subdiscipline of sport communication are evident in the reception of multiple early career awards from the National and International Communication Association and numerous publications within outlets such as Communication & Sport, International Journal of Sport Communication, Communication Studies, Communication Quarterly, Western Journal of Communication, Communication Research Reports, and the forthcoming Handbook of Communication and Sport.