Matt Ventresca

Matt Ventresca is a sociologist and cultural studies scholar whose work examines the intersections of sport, health, and technology in the context of media and popular cultures. His current research explores the sociocultural implications of sport’s ongoing “concussion crisis,” with an emphasis on how scientific knowledge about brain injuries is packaged by the media and used to frame wider conversations about risk and identity in sports cultures. Matt is specifically interested in media representations of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and their relationship to social constructions of trauma, technology, and scientific knowledge/ignorance. He is currently working with colleagues at the University of Calgary (Dr. William Bridel and Dr. Kathryn Schneider) on a cross-border study examining the cultural dynamics of athletes undergoing treatment for sport-related concussion. Matt also studies how global charitable events in support of “men’s health” (e.g. Movember) communicate complex and often problematic ideas about manhood, consumer culture, and the path to social change.

Matt has conducted research interrogating the sociocultural aspects of pain management strategies in professional sports, including the use of prescription painkillers by pro athletes and, most recently, debates around the legalization of cannabis-based treatments in elite sports. He is finishing a book that examines the cultural politics of the global charity Movember and discourses of ironic masculinity. He will be teaching SST courses including "Foundations of Sports Studies," and "Science, Technology and Sports."