Faculty/Staff Search

OR

Department/Unit Search

  1. Home
  2. About
  3. Faculty Members
  4. Mitchell McSweeney, PhD

Mitchell McSweeney, PhD

Assistant Professor

​​Mitchell McSweeney​

Contact Information
mmcswee5@uwo.ca
Google Scholar

Education

  • Postdoc (The University of British Columbia)
  • ​​​​PhD (York University)
  • MA (Brock University)
  • ​BA Hons (Brock University)​

Graduate Program Supervision

  • Management and Leadership in Kinesiology MA | PhD

Research In Profile

​Dr. McSweeney's research focuses on social entrepreneurship, innovation, sport for development and peace (SDP), forced migration, and livelihoods, and he often utilizes postcolonial theory, institutional theory, diaspora, and nonprofit management theories using community-based participatory action research approaches to critically investigate these areas. He has worked with various SDP organizations in Uganda, Canada, Kenya, Eswatini, Brazil, and a number of international organizations. Dr. Mitchell McSweeney has published over 50 book chapters and peer-reviewed articles, including in journals such as Journal of Sport Management, Sociology of Sport Journal, Sport Management Review, and the International Review for the Sociology of Sport, amongst others. He currently serves as one of three co-editors for the Journal of Sport for Development. He is co-editor (with Per Svensson, Lyndsay Hayhurst, and Parissa Safai) of the book, Social Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Sport for Development and Peace. Dr. McSweeney's is a Research Fellow of the North American Society for Sport Management and North American Society for the Sociology of Sport. He was the recipient of the 2022 JSFD Early Career Scholar Award.​

Books

  • ​McSweeney, M. J. (2022). Svensson, P., Hayhurst, L., & Safai, P. (Eds.), Social innovation, entrepreneurship, and sport for development and peace. Routledge.

​Articles in Peer-Reviewed Journals

  • ​McSweeney, M., Jonas, M., Obideyi, B., Guan, E., & Graeff, B. (2026, online first). Building an organizational culture for critical pedagogy in sport-for-development to challenge elitist sport in Brazil: The case of Instituto Fazer Acontecer. Sport, Education, & Society, 1-15.
  • ​McSweeney, M., Robar, J., Doherty, A., & Svensson, P. (2025). Conceptualizing an entrepreneurial mindset in sport for development and peace. Journal of Sport Management, 39(2), 128-139.
  • ​McSweeney, M., Guan, E., Svensson, P., & Kikulis, L. (2025, online first). Humanizing, surprising, controlling, and caring: Emotion work and emotional labor strategies in sport for development and peace. Sport Management Review, 1-26.
  • ​Harith, S., McSweeney, M., Willem, A., Winand, M., & Marlier, M. (2025). The dark side of social innovation: Integrating a digital application for sport-for-development programmes. Sport Management Review, 1-29.
  • ​McSweeney, M., Hayhurst, L., Millington, B., Wilson, B., Otte, J., del Socorro Cruz Centeno, L., Ardizzi, M., & Bandoles, E. (2025). Bicycles and the potential of unstructured sport for development and peace. Leisure Sciences, 47(6), 1353-1375.
  • ​McSweeney, M., Lu, L., & Jones, G. (2024). The use of bricolage in a resource-constrained sport for development and peace organization. Journal of Sport Management, 38(5), 301-314.​

Visit Google Scholar for a comprehensive list of publications.

  • McSweeney, M.J. (Principal Investigator) and Whitley, M. (Co-Investigator). (2025-2027). The KLABU Clubhouse Life Cycle Strategy: Exploring social innovation and capacity building in sport-for-development and peace. The Olympic Studies Centre.
  • ​McSweeney, M. J. (Co-Investigator), Hayhurst, L. (Principal Investigator), Schuurman, N. (Co-Investigator), van Ingen, C. (Co-Investigator), McIntosh Sundstrom, L. (Co-Investigator), Montoya, F. (Co-Investigator), Thorpe, H. (Co-Investigator), Kwauk, C. (Co-Investigator). Partnering for Progress: Exploring Sport as a Vehicle for Climate Justice and Gender Equality. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Partnership Development Grant.
  • McSweeney, M.J. (Co-Investigator) and Misener, L. (Principal Investigator). Governing for Safety and Accountability: A Multi-Level Analysis of Safeguarding and Governance Capacity in Special Olympics. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Insight Development Grant.

​​Identity Work in Sport for Development and Peace (SDP): Exploring How Global South Practitioners Construct and Negotiate Their Professional Identities

  • Guan, Erjia (Lucy) (In progress). PhD, School of Kinesiology, Western University

The Professionalization of Athletic Training in South Korea

  • Choi, Hokeun (2025). Master of Arts, School of Kinesiology, University of Minnesota

Please email Dr. McSweeney at mmcswee5@uwo.ca​ to inquire about potential MA and PhD supervision opportunities.

Additional Information

  • North American Society for Sport Management Research Fellow (2026)
  • ​North American Society for the Sociology of Sport Research Fellow (2024)
  • ​European Association for Sport Management Best Conference Paper Award (2023)
  • ​Journal of Sport for Development Early Career Scholar Award (2022)
  • ​Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand Best Conference Paper Award (2020)
  • North American Society for the Sociology of Sport Barbara Brown Student Paper Award (2017)​