Mark S. Dyreson

Mark S. Dyreson is a Professor of Kinesiology and Affiliate Professor of History at The Pennsylvania State University's College of Health and Human Development. He serves as Director of Research and Educational Programs for the Penn State Center for the Study of Sports in Society.

• Ph.D., 1989, History, University of Arizona
• M.A., 1984, United States and Latin American History, University of Arizona
• B.S., 1981, Anthropology and History, Eastern New Mexico University

His research focuses on the historical intersections of sport, culture, and society, particularly in the 19th-20th century United States and Latin America. Key areas include race, ethnicity, gender, national identity, and social class in sports contexts.

Recent publications examine racial politics in track and field, Olympic identity narratives, and sports historiography. He contributed to the International Journal of the History of Sport (2022) regarding US-South Africa athletic exchanges, and authored a 2024 Journal of Olympic Studies article on ambiguous racial identities in Olympic history.

As director of the Center for the Study of Sports in Society, he oversees research initiatives connecting sports studies with broader social scientific inquiry. His career spans over 68 research outputs including books like Making the American Team (1998) and Crafting Patriotism for Global Domination (2009).