Noah Cohan

Noah Cohan is a Lecturer and Assistant Director of American Culture Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, where he holds a PhD in English and American Literature (2015). His work focuses on the intersection of sports, race, gender, and fan culture. He teaches courses like 'Empire of Hoop' and leads initiatives such as the Sports and Society program. Cohan co-edits the Power Plays: The New Sports Studies book series (University of Oklahoma Press) and co-created Whereas Hoops, a project advocating for basketball courts in St. Louis's Forest Park. His book We Average Unbeautiful Watchers (2019) examines fan narratives in sports.

Education:

• PhD in English and American Literature, Washington University in St. Louis (2015)

Research Interests: Sports Studies, Fan Studies, Race and Gender in Popular Culture, Cultural Memory. He is currently writing a cultural history of the football helmet.

Media and Outreach: Featured in The New York Times, The Conversation, and on radio programs like St. Louis on the Air. He has presented at institutions including Notre Dame and the University of Iowa.

Professional Roles:

• Founding coordinator of the Sports Studies Caucus (American Studies Association)
• Co-convener of the Sports and Society program initiative

Recent Work: His research on football helmets explores safety innovations versus cultural resistance, and his Whereas Hoops project addresses anti-Black spatial inequities in public sports infrastructure.