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College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences

Faculty and Staff Profile

Rikishi T. Smith-Rey

Assistant Professor
Former Division I Student-Athlete

Office: Strode Tower 404

Phone:

Email: rrey@clemson.edu

Vita: View
 

Educational Background

Ph.D. Communication
Chapman University 2022

M.A. Communication
California State University, Fullerton 2019

B.A. Communication
Minor English
California State University, Fullerton 2013

Courses Taught

Advanced Sport Communication
Business and Professional Communication
Communication and Health
Communication and Sport Organizations
Communication and Sport Socialization
Communication Theory
Critical Thinking and Argumentation
Effective Sport/Org Communication
Health and Sport Communication
Introduction to Communication
Introduction to Oral Communication
Public Speaking
Social Media and Sport Communication
Strategic Communication in Sport
Survey of Sports Communication
Team Communication
Quantitative Research Methods
Qualitative Research Methods

Profile

"I care a lot about you as my student, but even more about you as a person."


I am an assistant professor of Strategic Communication in the Department of Communication and a faculty fellow at the Robert H. Brooks Sport Science Institute at Clemson University. In addition, I am a part of 3 different grant teams (NIH, CDC, + Foundation), two of which I am the PI, and two which are conducting clinical trials. I recently submitted a $3.3 million grant proposal to the Department of Transportation on behalf of the City of Clinton, SC, and SOS eCharging. I was responsible for developing, writing, and submitting the grant, and I will also be managing the grant throughout its implementation.

This summer, I will be launching the company I founded, Sport PhD. Our main focus will be to provide accessible and simplified sport research to athletes, stakeholders, and sport organizations, to ensure that cutting-edge knowledge is readily available for application in athletic careers.

Originally from Southern California, I attended CSU, Fullerton as a first-generation student with a scholarship to play Division I soccer. After my athletic career ended, I became a professional wedding photographer shooting 60+ events a year around the world. After retiring from wedding photography, my creativity and passion for message design led me to complete my M.A. (CSUF, 2019) and Ph.D. (Chapman University, 2022) in Strategic Communication.

I am fully trained in mixed-methods research, campaign and intervention design and efficacy, social media marketing and data analytics (B2B, B2C, Sprinklr, HubSpot, Hootsuite, Google Analytics, Adobe Creative Suite, Content Creation), and grant writing (Federal & Foundation).

My professional experience includes 5 years as a professional wedding photographer shooting 60+ events a year, 9 as a social media director, and 8 as a club soccer coach alongside Jason Van Broekhuizen. If I am not teaching or researching, I am either training for another half marathon, watching Arsenal FC or the Netherlands national soccer team, cooking or making something and anything from sourdough starter. I believe that anything can be fixed with a strong cup of black coffee or a good cup of bourbon. In my free time I am usually traveling, reading, or playing with my three dogs, Finley, Harper, and Aly.

Advisees
Clemson University
Shea Hammond (Expected Spring '26) - Thesis
Marissa Bennett (Expected Spring '25) - Project
Jalen Terrell (Expected Spring '25) - Thesis
Brannon Timms (Expected Fall '25) - Thesis
Nicole Pfaff (May '24) - Comprehensive exams

Chapman University
Jeffrey McDaniel ('22) - Northwestern University - Master of Arts in Sports Administration program
Cristina Molina ('22) - 2022 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship - "Assessing Latinx Young Adults with ADHD: Late Diagnosis and its Affects."

Committee Member
Clemson University
Hannah Gertz (May '24) - Thesis
Lexi Merriman (Expected '25) - Thesis

University of Delaware
Claire Wanzer (Expected '26)

Research Interests

Strategic Communication
Sport Marketing
Health and Sport Communication
Athlete-Coach Communication

Research Publications

Rey, R. T., Miller-Day, M., Craw, E. S., Buckley, T. M., Wozniak, T. R., Hopfer, S. (2024). Engagement with and persuasiveness of HPV vaccination promotion videos: An examination of narrative engagement theory. Atlantic Journal of Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15456870.2023.2298858

Cranmer, G. A., Cox, E., Rey, R. T., Browning, B., Holbert, L. G. (2024). Effects of cohesion with teammates on Division-I student athletes' mental health: An application of the human need to belong and transactional stress frameworks. Communication and Sport

Rey, R. T., & Pezalla, A. E. (2023). Parents, pain, and over-the-counter medicine: Athletes’ perceived alternatives to prescription opioid misuse. Healthcare. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11192671

Janicke-Bowles, S. H., Buckley, T. M., Rey, R. T., Wozniak, T. R., Meier, A., & Lomanowska, A. (2023). Conceptualizing and assessing digital flourishing: Developing a scale to measure positive mediated social interactions. Journal of Happiness Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-023-00619-5

Cranmer, G. A., Rey, R. T., Capra, J., Browning, B., Sollitto, M. (2023). Task & social determinants of coaches’ reports of leader-member exchange. Communication & Sport. https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795231155592

Rey, R. T., Capra, J. (2023). "Shut up and dribble": Fans' perceptions of professional athletes' roles in standing up against racial injustices. Communication Research Reports. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2023.2165488

Rey, R. T., Cranmer, G. A., Browning, B., Sanderson, J. (2022). Sport knowledge: The effects of Division I coach communication on student-athlete learning indicators. International Journal of Sport Communication. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.2021-0062

Leader, A., Miller-Day, M., Rey, R. T., Selvan, P., Pezalla, A., Hecht, M. L. (2022). The impact of HPV vaccine narratives on social media: Testing narrative engagement theory with a diverse sample of young adults. Preventative Medicine Reports. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101920

Cranmer, G. A., Rey, R. T., Tallapragada, M. (2021). Exploring the role of parents’ sport orientations in the efficacy of concussion intervention materials. Communication Research Reports. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2021.1936480

Rey, R. T., Johnson, Z. D. (2021). “Detrimental to the team dynamic": Exploring college student-athlete dissent. Communication and Sport. https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795211001938
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Book Chapter

Smith-Rey, R. T. (In Progress). Sport Organizations and Employee Dissent. In J. Sanderson (Ed), Organizational Communication and Sport: Connections, Applications, and Opportunities, Lexington Books

Cranmer, G. A., Rey, R. T. (In Press). Communication within sports teams. In P. Pedersen (Ed.), Routledge Handbook of Sport Communication.

Cranmer, G. A., Rey, R. T. (In Press). The impact and influence of family communication in sports. In G. Cranmer, N. Brown-Devlin, & L. Smith (Eds.), Sport Communication: Process, Theory, and Praxis. Cognella.

Cranmer, G. A., Rey, R. T., & Mikkilineni, S. (2022). Coach-athlete communication and implications for health. In J. Sanders & M. Weathers (Eds.), Health Communication and Sport: Connections, Applications, and Opportunities, Lexington Books

Honors and Awards

Jake Liang Outstanding Ph.D. Student of the Year (2022)
Jennifer H. Waldeck Graduate Teaching Associate of the Year (2021)
Michelle Miller-Day Outstanding Graduate Researcher of the Year (2020)
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Top Paper Awards

Cranmer, G. A., Rey, R. T., Capra, J. (Graduate Student), Browning, & Sollitto, M. Task & social determinants of coaches’ reports of leader-member exchange. Paper was presented as the top paper to Communication and Sport Division at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association, National Harbor, MD.

Rey, R. T., Pezalla, A. (2022). Refusing to misuse opioid prescriptions: Exploring the recovery process of athletic injuries and athletes’ decisions towards pain medication. Paper was presented as the top paper to Health Communication Division at the annual meeting of the Eastern Communication Association, Philadelphia, PA.

Buckley, T. M., Rey, R. T., Lounsbury, L., Guzaitis, M. C., Vance, O., Weber, K. (2021). An application of psychological reactance theory and gain and loss framing. Paper was presented as the top paper to Applied Communication Division at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Seattle, WA.

Rey, R. T., Ball, H., Buckley, T. M., Wozniak, T., & Craw, E. S. (2021). College athletes’ responses to recovery plan messages: An application of psychological reactance theory. Paper was presented as a top three paper at the Health Communication Division at the annual meeting of the Eastern Communication Association, Cambridge, MA.

Rey, R. T., Miller-Day, M., Craw, E. S., Buckley, T. M., Wozniak, T. R., & Hopfer, S. (2021). Engagement with and persuasiveness of HPV vaccination promotion videos: An examination of narrative engagement theory. Paper was presented as the top paper at the at the annual meeting of the Eastern Communication Association, Cambridge, MA.
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Grants
$1,000,000 (In Progress) National Institute for Health - PI investigating and implementing the Student-Athlete Wellness Portal in High Schools
$6,000 (2023) Robert H. Brooks Sport Science Institute - Co-PI investigating the efficacy of Concussion Legacy Foundation's Team Up Against Concussions intervention in high school student-athletes
$2,500 (2018-2019) Grant Equity Scholar Recipient, California State University, Fullerton
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Athletic Awards

California State University, Fullerton Women’s Soccer Team – Fall 2009 - Fall 2013
Big West Academic All-Conference – 2011 & 2013
Big West Tournament Champion – 2013
NCAA Tournament Participant – 2013



College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences
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