By Reilly Cahill

Less than a year ago, Brittani Becher was finishing up her final year of her Ph.D in sport and fitness administration/management at Ohio State.

Now, she is a faculty member at West Georgia and has been named the most recent faculty affiliate of SSI.

Her journey toward pursuing a career in the sports industry was anything but linear.

After graduating from the University of Toledo in May 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics and statistics, Becher wanted to change career paths.

“I got one year out, and I realized math was not going to cut it for the rest of my career,” Becher said. “I had to figure out what my actual passion is, what I wanted to continue to do throughout my career.”

She ultimately found sport management.

Becher got her MBA in sport and fitness administration/management from Tiffin University in August 2022, then earned her Ph.D from Ohio State University in May 2025.

Now, Becher is an assistant professor of the department of sport management at West Georgia.

Becher said she was shocked when SSI reached out to her about becoming an affiliate.

“I was honestly very surprised in a good way that I was already getting reached out to this early in my career, because I just graduated last May,” Becher said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, they already want me to join something like this, I haven’t even made a name for myself yet.”

Becher believes that connections that she made while at Ohio State, such as Brian Turner, professor and coordinator of the graduate Sport Management in the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University, factored into SSI contacting her.

Despite living in Atlanta, Becher looks to make connections and make her impact felt virtually within SSI.

“I want to participate in as many virtual events as I possibly can to actually maintain my presence within the organization,” Becher said.

Becher said she thinks the diverse experiences and skills she’s gained throughout college can help her bring a unique perspective to SSI.

“I really think that I’m this unique piece of a contributor that can come to the initiative,” Becher said. “I love that I’m also an alum of Ohio State, so it’s not like I feel out of place in any way; there’s still a connection.”