Education

Ph.D., Texas A&M University, 2011
M.S., Texas A&M University, 2008
B.S., Texas A&M University, 2006

Background

Khalid Ballouli is an associate professor and Ph.D. program director in the Department of Sport and Entertainment Management at the University of South Carolina. A native of Austin, Texas, Ballouli earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in sport management from Texas A&M University.

Ballouli’s research interests lie in the areas of consumer behavior and sport and entertainment marketing. He has published numerous research articles appearing in peer-reviewed journals including Journal of Sport Management, Sport Management Review, and Sport Marketing Quarterly. To support this research, Ballouli has served as principal investigator for several grant projects, earning research funding from such organizations as Circuit of The Americas, FC Cincinnati, and the Southeastern Conference. 

In addition to research, Ballouli has received several awards and honors for his contributions and service to the sport management field. He was honored with the Outstanding Service Award from the Sport Marketing Association after serving two terms as the organization’s elected vice president and president. In recognition of his excellence in sport marketing research, Ballouli was named a research fellow by the Sport Marketing Association in 2022. He is also a recipient of the Patricia G. Moody Distinguished Researcher Award, the highest faculty recognition the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management awards for research and scholarship.

Prior to joining the University of South Carolina, Ballouli spent six years in professional baseball as a pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers farm system, during which time he gained first-hand knowledge of the professional sports industry. He played while attending Texas A&M, where he received numerous honors including team captain, Big 12 All-Conference, and NCAA All-Tournament. Ballouli remains active in his community by helping youth baseball organizations foster athlete and community development, and often lends his time and expertise to researchers and educators in this field. He and his wife, Jessica, have four children: Farrah, Zaki, Maya, and Zayn.

---

In the Media

Expand all

2023

• Major League Baseball rules aim for shorter games — and a bigger audience: Marketplace
• For Major League Baseball, shorter games and more action have drawn bigger crowds: Marketplace

2022

• NBA Players Are Acting Up Despite $36 Million in Fines. Here’s Why: Bloomberg

Awards / Honors

• President, Sport Marketing Association (2021 – 2022)
• Sport Marketing Association Research Fellow (2022)
• Patricia G. Moody Distinguished Researcher Award, College of HRSM (2017)
• Outstanding Service Award, Sport Marketing Association (2016)

Research Interests

• Branding
• Collegiate Athletics
• Consumer Behavior
• Sport Marketing

Teaching

• SPTE 380 – Sport and Entertainment Marketing
• HRSM 788 – Business Research and Analytics
• HRSM 888 – Research Design

Research Publications

Bernthal, M. J., Ballouli, K., & Nugent, N. (2022). Toward a better understanding of parent versus local team branding in minor league baseball. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 31(1), 3-15. http://doi.org/10.32731/SMQ.311.0322.01

Hwang, Y., & Ballouli, K. (2021). Developing and validating a venue stimuli-local image fit scale. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 30(4), 289-304. http://doi.org/10.32731/SMQ.304.1221.04

Reifurth, K. R. N., Bernthal, M. J., Ballouli, K., & Collins, D. (2019). Local vs. nonlocal fandom: How geographic proximity, geographic identity, and competing teams interact with team identification. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 28(4), 195-208. http://doi.org/10.32731/SMQ.284.122019.02

Cohen, A., & Ballouli, K. (2018). Exploring the cultural intersection of music, sport, and physical activity among at-risk urban youth. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 53(3), 350-370. https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690216654295

Ballouli, K., Koesters, T. C., & Hall, T. (2018). Leverage and activation of sport sponsorship through music festivals. Event Management, 22(2), 123-133. https://doi.org/10.3727/152599518X15173355843299

Hwang, Y., Ballouli, K., So, K., & Heere, B. (2017). Effects of brand congruity and game difficulty on gamer recall and response to advertising in video games. Journal of Sport Management, 31(5), 480-496. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.2017-0022

Professional Affiliations

• North American Society for Sport Management
• Sport Marketing Association