Background

• Ph.D., Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla. (2021)
• M.S., Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla. (2015)
• B.S., Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran (2011)

Tarlan Chahardovali (Vali) is an assistant professor with the Department of Sport and Entertainment Management and joined the University of South Carolina in the fall of 2022. Her research interests are grounded in improving diversity, identifying structural inequities, policy making and gender equity in sport. Her current line of inquiry focuses on athletes’ labor and demand in sport markets with a special focus on the value of women’s labor / women’s sport and the gender pay gap in the sport industry.

Chahardovali previously worked as a postdoctoral research scholar at the Global Sport Institute at Arizona State University. She holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in sport management from Florida State University in addition to a bachelor of science degree in physical education / exercise science from Alzahra University in Tehran, Iran.

Chahardovali was a competitive middle-distance runner and a member of the Iranian National Team in her home country of Iran prior to moving to the U.S. in 2014. Chahardovali once ran across the Grand Canyon from rim to rim on one day, only to run back across two days later.

Research interests

• Political Economy of Sport
• Labor Studies
• Women’s Labor and Gender Pay Gap in Sport
• Market Dynamics in Women’s Sport

Research activities

 Gerretsen, S., Chahardovali, T., & Brooks, S. (In Press). "Title IX and career pathways of women across NCAA women’s basketball programs: An intersectional approach to human capital in hiring." Journal of Intercollegiate Sport.

Giardina, M. D., Chahardovali, T., & Newman, J. I. (2021). "Globalization, ideology, and sport." In Maguire, J., Liston, K., & Falcous, M. (Eds.), Palgrave Handbook of Globalization and Sport.

Chahardovali, T., Ternes, N. C., & Holden, J. (2019). "Non-citizens, the first amendment, and stadium speech." Michigan State International Law Review, 27(2), 283.

McLeod, C. M., Holden, J. T., Hawzen, M. G., & Chahardovali, T. (2018). "Do influxes of atypical labor make sport event workers prone to exploitation?" Sport Management Review, 22(4), 527-539.

Professional affiliations

• North American Society for the Sociology of Sport
• North American Society for Sport Management
• Sport and Recreation Law Association