The Sports, Society, and Technology (SST) program at Georgia Tech offers an interdisciplinary curriculum that investigates sport as a global cultural phenomenon and as an industry.
Grounded in the liberal arts tradition, SST offers courses centered around sport within broader historical, social, political, economic, and technological contexts. Students gain a deeper understanding of how institutions, politics, policies, and value systems influence sports participation and the worldwide infrastructure of sports. In our small classes, faculty experts encourage intellectual curiosity, communication, problem solving, and critical thinking skills.
The SST program offers an undergraduate minor that provides a comprehensive approach to sports studies. The minor emphasizes learning from diverse academic fields, including history, sociology, economics, law, and international affairs. All majors are welcome to enroll in SST courses or the minor. Situated in Atlanta, a major sports city, Georgia Tech’s SST minor uniquely prepares students interested in sports and health industries, internships, and graduate school.
In SST classes, students engage in collaborative learning and consider crucial questions about the importance of sports and how sports have changed over time:
- Why have people around the world invested so much time, money, and energy into sports?
- How have politics, education, and law influenced sports?
- How did the rise of cities shape modern professional sports? How do the forces of globalization continue to shape sports across the world?
- How have sports promoted ideas around nationalism, capitalism, and democracy?
- How does gender, race, ethnicity, and class influence who gets to play sports and how?
Why Sports, Society, and Technology at Georgia Tech?
"I chose the minor foremost as a practical application that would support my business curriculum in my major field, and it absolutely delivered! GT’s approach to blending both historical relevance and future-state impact was very evident in the courses I took in the SST minor, and it’s that perspective that still serves me well in my career that has now made its way outside of sport."
— Gavin Lambert
B.S. in Business Administration with a minor in Sports, Society, and Technology, 2022
“As sports and other similar institutions are increasingly used to influence politics and the world at large, my time in the SST program has helped me understand how and why sports are used in this way and has helped me explain it to others as well. Sports will continue to be loved by many, but they are also intertwined with politics, whether people want to admit it or not. Being able to understand that and share that knowledge with others has been very valuable to me.”
— William Braxton Butcher
B.S. Industrial Engineering with a minor in Sports, Society, and Technology, 2022
“Having the opportunity to take classes from sociology and gender of sports to sports economics and stadium architecture makes the SST minor just as holistic and well-rounded as a fully loaded sports-focused major. I focused on soccer, but also gained expertise in other sports like boxing, cheerleading, tennis, and many more. Because of this I feel like I have the confidence to step into any room in the sports industry and have the proficiency to participate in the conversation.”
— Jordan Artis, External Affairs Coordinator at the Atlanta Hawks
B.S. and M.S. in International Affairs with a minor in Sports, Society, and Technology, 2025
Minor in Sports, Society, and Technology
Learn how sports reflect and shape society.
The 15-credit-hour Sports, Society, and Technology minor focuses on the critical study of sports in our world. It includes courses on sports law, sports economics, history and sports, gender and sports, and science, technology, and sports, among others.
Classes are open to non-minor seeking students as well, and many courses can be used to satisfy the Social Science Core IMPACTS requirement.
Join the Sports, Society, and Technology Research Collective
Team up with like-minded scholars.
The Sports, Society, and Technology collective sponsors research-oriented panels and workshops and promotes sport-related scholarship at Georgia Tech.
Our faculty specialize in areas as varied as history, sociology, international affairs, applied physiology, economics, law, and materials science and engineering — but are all connected by a shared passion for better understanding the cultural significance of sports. Students and faculty in any field or at any institution are welcome to join us for these events.
Connect with Sports, Society, and Technology Faculty
Get expert insights for your stories.
Sports, Society, and Technology faculty collaborate with journalists and media outlets to provide expert perspectives on sports stories in Atlanta and beyond.
Georgia Tech’s scholars can answer vital questions about the social, political, and economic issues that continue to shape the sports world.