Cheryl Cooky

Cheryl Cooky is a professor of American Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Purdue University. Her interdisciplinary research examines the intersections of gendered dynamics, cultural representations, and sports contexts. She is the co-author of "Serving Equality: Feminism, Media and Women’s Sports (2022, Peter Lang Publishers) and "No Slam Dunk: Gender, Sport and the Unevenness of Social Change (2018, Rutgers University Press).

Her research is published in a diverse array of journals including Communication & Sport, Gender & Society, Journal of Sex Research, Sex Roles, Sociology of Sport Journal, among others. She is the Editor of Sociology of Sport Journal and the past-President of the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS).

Committed to making research accessible to general audiences and to translating academic knowledge to advocate for gender equality, Dr. Cooky has been quoted in over 100 national and international news media outlets and has appeared as a guest on over 30 podcasts and national TV/ radio programs, including NPR, PBS Newshour, and Edge of Sports. Her op-ed articles are published in NBC Think epsnW, Huff Post, Indianapolis Star, among others.

Cooky served as a consultant for Humankind Research, a UK-based research consulting firm which informed the development of Nike’s 2019 “Dream Crazier” campaign. She also served as a consultant for Leo Burnett, a top U.S.-based advertising firm which informed the development of Buick’s #SeeHerGreatness campaign. This campaign advocates for equality in women’s sports and media coverage.