Christopher Lee is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Marketing and Faculty Director of the Sports Business Program in the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. Dr. Lee joined ASU in 2016 from Temple University in Philadelphia where he held a dual appointment as assistant professor in the School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management as well as in the Fox School of Business.
At W.P. Carey, he teaches classes on consumer behavior, sports business, and sports marketing. For the Allan “Bud” Selig Sports Law and Business program at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, he teaches master’s courses in sports business as well. Dr. Lee also co-authored a book, with his colleague Daniel McIntosh, titled “Sports Business Principles” that they self-published and provided free to their students.
Dr. Lee’s research centers around the role of language and framing of communication in marketing. To that end, Dr. Lee authored his University of Oregon doctorate: “Consumer Linguistics: A Markedness Approach to Numerical Perceptions.” His article in the Journal of Retailing looks at the effectiveness of framing in product labeling. Dr. Lee has also published research in the Journal of Advertising, Marketing Letters, and Sport Marketing Quarterly while being featured in local media including AZCentral, KJZZ (NPR), and ASU Now.
He has presented his research at conferences for the American Marketing Association, Academy of Marketing Science, European Association for Sport Management, Sports Marketing Association, and Strategic Service Institute. He received the 2016 Emerging Scholar in Sport Marketing Award from the American Marketing Association's Sport & Sponsorship-Linked Marketing Special Interest Group which recognizes up and coming researchers in the sports marketing space.
At ASU, he also worked to incorporate consumer behavior principles at the Innovative Learner and User Experience Lab (iLux Lab), unique in advanced EEG monitoring and eye-tracking technology to improve understanding of consumer behavior, in the Ira A. Schools of Engineering. Furthermore, he shares his insights on marketing and consumer behavior on his website, christopherlee.com, and Twitter account, @chrisleephd, with more than 7,000 followers.
In his most recent academic involvement in the sports industry, Dr. Lee is working with a top global sports apparel brand on its marketing initiatives. Threading through his higher education was Dr. Lee’s experience working for Turnkey Sports and Entertainment, NBA’s Golden State Warriors, New Era Cap, and MLB’s Camelback Ranch.
Dr. Lee is a devoted fan of the NCAA Pac-12, having earned his Ph.D. in Marketing from the University of Oregon, his M.B.A. from Arizona State University, and Bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.