About
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sport Management at Rice University. My research focuses on three primary areas:
- Sports Analytics. I am particularly interested in basketball analytics.
- Sports Economics. My work in sports economics examines the factors that influence individuals’ decisions to participate in, watch, attend, and follow sports.
- Sport Sociology. My research in sport sociology studies the role of sport in society and its impact on social outcomes.
Selected Publications
View All →Estimating positional plus-minus in the NBA
Hua Gong, Su Chen
Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports
Exploring tanking strategies in the NBA: an empirical analysis of resting healthy players
Hua Gong, Nicholas M Watanabe, Brian P Soebbing, Matthew T Brown, Mark S Nagel
Sport Management Review
The Effect of the Crowd on Home Bias: Evidence from NBA Games During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Hua Gong
Journal of Sports Economics
Do consumer perceptions of tanking impact attendance at National Basketball Association games? A sentiment analysis approach
Hua Gong, Nicholas M Watanabe, Brian P Soebbing, Matthew T Brown, Mark S Nagel
Journal of Sport Management