By Griffin Barfield
Sarah Stokowski, Ph.D., associate professor of athletic leadership in the College of Education at Clemson University and faculty fellow of the Robert H. Brooks Sports Science Institute, has been awarded a 2025 ESPN Research Fellowship by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) International Gaming Institute (IGI).
Fellowships were given to four faculty from across the world to research the complex landscape of responsible gambling messaging within sports media. Specifically, Stokowski will research how student-athletes perceive and engage with sports betting content encountered online.
“This fellowship provides an incredible opportunity to examine how sports betting content on social media is shaping student‑athletes’ experiences,” Stokowski said. “By understanding how these messages are received and interpreted, we can help athletic departments and universities respond in ways that support student well‑being and promote more responsible engagement with gambling content.”
Stokowski’s research will combine social media analysis with in-depth interviews to better understand how college students engage with sports betting content online. Using Clemson’s state-of-the-art Social Media Listening Center, she will monitor trending conversations and influencer activity across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit and X, formerly known as Twitter.
These insights will be paired with confidential interviews to explore how student-athletes interpret and respond to sports betting messages they encounter online. The study will generate data-driven recommendations aimed at improving education, awareness and support related to gambling exposure in college environments.
“I am so honored and genuinely excited to be named an ESPN Research Fellow. Student‑athletes are at the heart of my research, and they deserve thoughtful support as they navigate a world where sports betting and gambling have become increasingly normalized,” Stokowski said. “This fellowship gives me the opportunity to better understand their experiences and develop tools to help them make informed choices and protect their well‑being as they balance their athletic, academic and personal development.”
IGI hopes the projects provide important insights about strategies that policymakers could use to aid the wellbeing of sports fans and social media users.
The project will take place over a six-month period that will conclude on December 31, 2025. Fellows will then produce white papers and present during an IGI webinar in spring 2026. Stokowski plans to create a digital toolkit for non-academic audiences to educate student-athletes and athletic departments.
