Rate My Professor Mike Sam

Professor Michael Sam is a Professor and Interim Dean of the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Otago. He earned a Bachelor of Physical Education (BPE) from the University of Alberta, a Master of Arts (MA) from the University of New Brunswick, and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the University of Otago. His career began in public administration, with roles at municipal and provincial government levels in Manitoba, Canada, where he developed expertise in recreation that informs his academic pursuits in sport policy and management.

Michael Sam's research explores policy, politics, and governance in the public administration and management of sport, focusing on wicked problems in governance, comparative sport development systems, and policy regimes related to stadium financing, sports gambling, and sport integrity. He serves as co-director of the New Zealand Centre for Sport Policy and Politics, President of the International Sociology of Sport Association (ISSA), and on editorial boards of the International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, International Review for the Sociology of Sport, and International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing. His work has shaped understandings of sport development across countries such as Canada, Australia, South Korea, and Sweden, influencing policy discussions on fairness, funding, and community involvement in sport. Key publications include co-edited books Sport in the City: Cultural Connections (2011), Sport Policy in Small States (2016), and Case Studies in Sport Diplomacy (2017), along with chapters in the Routledge Handbook of Sports Development (2nd ed., 2026). Highly cited papers feature "The public management of sport: Wicked problems, challenges and dilemmas" (2009), "Targeted investments in elite sport funding: Wiser, more innovative and strategic?" (2012), and "Sport policy development in New Zealand: Paradoxes of an integrative paradigm" (2004). Sam engages in public commentary on sport policy issues, delivered his Inaugural Professorial Lecture "Sport policy's levers and instruments" in October 2025, and coaches the Dunedin Women’s Thunder ice hockey team and New Zealand’s national women’s team, the Ice Ferns.