Kyle W. Kusz

Kyle W. Kusz is a Professor of English and Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Rhode Island, with an office in 208B Swan Hall. He previously held roles in URI's Kinesiology department before transitioning to English in 2019. His work critically examines representations of race, gender, and nationalism in American popular culture and sport media.

Education:

• Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2003 (Kinesiology, Cultural Studies of Sport)
• M.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1996 (Kinesiology)
• M.S., Ithaca College, 1994 (Sports Studies)

Research Focus: Kusz analyzes how sport media and cultural narratives (e.g., celebrity athletes, films like Murderball, extreme sports) function as political allegories that re-center whiteness and shape public perceptions of race, gender, and nationalism. His book Revolt of the White Athlete (2007) explores these dynamics in post-civil rights America.

Awards/Grants: None explicitly listed in the text.

Future Directions: Expanding research beyond sport media to broader contemporary American media culture while maintaining focus on race, gender, and body politics.