Faculty Spotlight: Dominique Kropp, Ph.D. - Sport Science and Management

May 9, 2023

Growing up, Dominique Kropp, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Sport Science and Management, was always around sports.

“I just fell in love with it,” she said. “By the age of seven, I was consistently attending my dad’s basketball practices. While most of my young classmates were watching Disney movies, I was watching college and NBA basketball.”

That led Kropp to the University of Nebraska Kearney, her dad’s alma mater, where she played tennis for three years. She then served as director of operations for the men’s basketball program. From there, she worked in compliance, and secured her master’s degree.

“After completing my master’s degree, I found myself at a crossroads which many of our students face where they think, ‘Well, now what do I do with my life?’” said Kropp.

She decided to pursue a Ph.D., and that led her to the University of Kansas as a teaching assistant in the sport management program. She spent three years at Kansas and was able to work with the men’s basketball team as an academic tutor.

“It was time to complete my dissertation and apply for jobs and I almost had this mindset of I want to be at a school where basketball is an important part of the university, because of my own experiences with basketball,” said Kropp. “Xavier posted a teaching professor position and, after the interview process, I was offered the job. I couldn’t be happier.”

Kropp is in her third year at Xavier as a teaching professor in sport management, sport marketing and sport administration in the department of Sport Science and Management.

Kropp teaches four classes per semester. “I love it because I get to interact with students as much as possible,” she said.

Those interactions with her classes usually begin with a discussion about current events taking place in the world of sports. The topics her students address during the discussion have a tendency to form the basis for Kropp’s lectures. They’ll work through the sociology of sports, touching on race, gender and ethnicity.

“We’re talking about stories going on right now, not necessarily those that are historical, and historical perspectives are huge in sport, but the students really seem to like that current aspect,” said Kropp.

One initiative Kropp is hoping to to incorporate into her courses is community engagement. She plans to have her Facility and Event Management class and Sociology of Sport class come together to work with a local high school developing a fundraiser, while understanding the school from a sociological perspective and allowing students to use their own experiences to relate to and improve the high school students’ experiences.

Kropp’s students are also required to complete an internship, and they have access to the many professional sports organizations in Cincinnati as well as Xavier’s athletic department, which often allow her students to get a foothold and make valuable connections for their futures.

A love of sports permeates into everything Kropp does. She watches a lot of college football and basketball. Connecting with her students and their shared love of sports creates a beneficial partnership.

“Connecting with my students is key to my teaching approach,” said Kropp. “I believe it is important to understand their needs and the topics and material which excite them in the classroom.

“It’s so nice at Xavier because I’m able to do that. I don’t have a class greater than 45 students. I have been given a teaching assignment for an introduction to sport management course with over 250 students at another university. It was impossible to create a meaningful relationship with each student.

Xavier provides the foundation for Kropp to truly get to know her students.

“I try to get to know each of my students by name within the first week and then get to know their background and their own life experiences, because that’s the best way to connect with them,” said Kropp. “This allows students to realize they are more than just a number here at Xavier.”

In addition to introduction to Sport Management and Sociology of Sport, Kropp also teaches an intercollegiate athletics course and a graduate-level psychosocial aspects of sport class.

Every faculty member in Kropp’s department has, in some capacity, worked in sports, which provides a substantial benefit to Xavier students pursuing a degree and a career in sports.

“To have professors that can come into the classroom with real-world experience allows our students to get real-world advice which will be helpful in their future careers,” Kropp said. Kropp has a special appreciation for what it means to be a professor, and she knows she probably wouldn’t be doing what she is today if it weren’t for her parents.

“What does it mean to care about your students?” said Kropp. “Growing up with a dad as a coach, I learned that teaching is not much different than caring about your players as a coach. For me, it almost comes as second nature just because I grew up around it.

It also helps that Kropp found a place at Xavier that she cares about.

“This place is somewhere I want to establish roots as a person but also in terms of my employment,” said Kropp. “When I came to Xavier, I could just tell that people actually care. They’re concerned with your well-being. I felt like I belonged right away.”