Yuhei Inoue, Ph.D., assistant professor of sport management in the School of Kinesiology, is featured and profiled in the Spring/Summer 2018 issue of CEHD Connect. The article, Fans for Health, highlights Inoue’s research in ways that sports spectatorship can lead to a sense of belonging, specifically in older adults.

Inoue partnered with Daniel Wann, a psychology professor in Kentucky, and they won funding for a pilot study from the North American Society for Sport Management. Inoue and Wann collaborated with Minnetonka Senior Services, having half of the study participants attend University of Minnesota volleyball games. Participants were surveyed after attending the games, and the results found that participants felt a closer bond to the volleyball team and the senior services center. From the results, Inoue is currently developing an associated theory.