Our People
Sports Social Pulse™ brings together leaders in sports business, artificial intelligence, social media analytics, and strategic communications to help organizations understand and act on the digital conversation surrounding sports.
Sports Social Pulse™ brings together leaders in sports business, artificial intelligence, social media analytics, and strategic communications to help organizations understand and act on the digital conversation surrounding sports.
Clay Owen
Founder, Sports Social Pulse™ Professor of Practice, University of South Carolina
Clay Owen is founder of the Sports Social Pulse™ and a professor of practice in the University of South Carolina's School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Drawing on a career that spans journalism, corporate communications, public relations, sports marketing, and media management, Owen leads the vision and growth of the Sports Social Pulse platform. Prior to joining academia, Owen held leadership positions with global media and communications organizations, including CNN in both Atlanta and London, where he worked on international news and strategic communications initiatives. He has also led communications and public relations programs for Fortune 50 companies, helping organizations navigate complex stakeholder, brand, and reputation challenges in rapidly evolving media environments. Throughout his career, Owen has developed and managed high-profile partnerships and communications initiatives involving major sports properties and organizations, including the NCAA, NASCAR, and the Dallas Cowboys. His work has focused on connecting audiences, brands, and media through compelling storytelling and measurable business outcomes. At Sports Social Pulse™, Owen specializes in helping organizations understand how fan attention, social media engagement, and digital conversations influence the modern sports business landscape. He oversees strategy, industry partnerships, media relations, and product development while translating complex analytics into actionable insights for media companies, athletic departments, conferences, sponsors, and brands. Under Owen's leadership, Sports Social Pulse™ has evolved from a college football analytics initiative into a broader sports intelligence platform tracking fan engagement and digital influence across college athletics, professional sports, and global sporting events.
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Clay Owen
Founder, Sports Social Pulse™ Professor of Practice, University of South Carolina
Clay Owen is founder of the Sports Social Pulse™ and a professor of practice in the University of South Carolina's School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Drawing on a career that spans journalism, corporate communications, public relations, sports marketing, and media management, Owen leads the vision and growth of the Sports Social Pulse platform. Prior to joining academia, Owen held leadership positions with global media and communications organizations, including CNN in both Atlanta and London, where he worked on international news and strategic communications initiatives. He has also led communications and public relations programs for Fortune 50 companies, helping organizations navigate complex stakeholder, brand, and reputation challenges in rapidly evolving media environments. Throughout his career, Owen has developed and managed high-profile partnerships and communications initiatives involving major sports properties and organizations, including the NCAA, NASCAR, and the Dallas Cowboys. His work has focused on connecting audiences, brands, and media through compelling storytelling and measurable business outcomes. At Sports Social Pulse™, Owen specializes in helping organizations understand how fan attention, social media engagement, and digital conversations influence the modern sports business landscape. He oversees strategy, industry partnerships, media relations, and product development while translating complex analytics into actionable insights for media companies, athletic departments, conferences, sponsors, and brands. Under Owen's leadership, Sports Social Pulse™ has evolved from a college football analytics initiative into a broader sports intelligence platform tracking fan engagement and digital influence across college athletics, professional sports, and global sporting events.
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Chris Caldwell
Chris Caldwell is co-founder of the Sports Social Pulse™ and a veteran sports media and marketing executive with more than three decades of experience building and growing businesses for some of the most recognizable brands in sports, including FOX Sports, WWE, Gatorade, GMR Marketing and The University of Florida Athletic Association. Throughout his career, Caldwell has launched and led high-performing business development, sponsorship, and media partnerships divisions that have generated more than $1 billion in new revenue. His expertise spans media rights, sponsorship strategy, brand partnerships, content development, and sports marketing innovation at the highest levels of the industry. Prior to joining the University of South Carolina, Caldwell served as senior vice president of business development for FOX Sports, head of Media Partnerships for WWE, and senior manager of sports marketing for Gatorade. He also founded Glory Days Sports Media and played a key role in developing USC's graduate sports media program. As co-founder of Sports Social Pulse™, Caldwell helped shape the platform's vision of connecting fan attention, social media engagement, and business intelligence. He provides strategic leadership on commercialization, industry partnerships, media rights, sponsorship opportunities, and the evolving economics of sports fandom. His perspective helps ensure that Sports Social Pulse™ delivers not only meaningful rankings and insights, but also practical intelligence that organizations can use to better understand audiences, strengthen brands, and drive growth in an increasingly digital sports marketplace.
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Chris Caldwell
Chris Caldwell is co-founder of the Sports Social Pulse™ and a veteran sports media and marketing executive with more than three decades of experience building and growing businesses for some of the most recognizable brands in sports, including FOX Sports, WWE, Gatorade, GMR Marketing and The University of Florida Athletic Association. Throughout his career, Caldwell has launched and led high-performing business development, sponsorship, and media partnerships divisions that have generated more than $1 billion in new revenue. His expertise spans media rights, sponsorship strategy, brand partnerships, content development, and sports marketing innovation at the highest levels of the industry. Prior to joining the University of South Carolina, Caldwell served as senior vice president of business development for FOX Sports, head of Media Partnerships for WWE, and senior manager of sports marketing for Gatorade. He also founded Glory Days Sports Media and played a key role in developing USC's graduate sports media program. As co-founder of Sports Social Pulse™, Caldwell helped shape the platform's vision of connecting fan attention, social media engagement, and business intelligence. He provides strategic leadership on commercialization, industry partnerships, media rights, sponsorship opportunities, and the evolving economics of sports fandom. His perspective helps ensure that Sports Social Pulse™ delivers not only meaningful rankings and insights, but also practical intelligence that organizations can use to better understand audiences, strengthen brands, and drive growth in an increasingly digital sports marketplace.
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Jameson L. Hayes, Ph.D.
Director, Social Media Insights Lab Professor, University of South Carolina
Dr. Jameson Hayes is director of the University of South Carolina's Social Media Insights Lab, where he leads research at the intersection of social media, consumer behavior, public opinion, and strategic communication. As one of the nation's leading scholars in advertising and audience analytics, Hayes helps guide the methodology and research framework behind the Sports Social Pulse™. Prior to joining the University of South Carolina, Hayes served as Ph.D. program director and founded both the Public Opinion Lab and the UA in the Caribbean program at the University of Alabama. He is the immediate past president of the American Academy of Advertising and is associate editor of the Journal of Advertising, two of the most influential organizations in the field. Drawing on experience in both academia and industry, Hayes specializes in transforming large-scale digital conversations into meaningful insights that help media organizations, brands, and sports properties better understand audience engagement and emerging trends. At Sports Social Pulse™, Hayes provides strategic leadership on research design, analytics, and the interpretation of fan behavior across the rapidly evolving sports media landscape.
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Jameson L. Hayes, Ph.D.
Director, Social Media Insights Lab Professor, University of South Carolina
Dr. Jameson Hayes is director of the University of South Carolina's Social Media Insights Lab, where he leads research at the intersection of social media, consumer behavior, public opinion, and strategic communication. As one of the nation's leading scholars in advertising and audience analytics, Hayes helps guide the methodology and research framework behind the Sports Social Pulse™. Prior to joining the University of South Carolina, Hayes served as Ph.D. program director and founded both the Public Opinion Lab and the UA in the Caribbean program at the University of Alabama. He is the immediate past president of the American Academy of Advertising and is associate editor of the Journal of Advertising, two of the most influential organizations in the field. Drawing on experience in both academia and industry, Hayes specializes in transforming large-scale digital conversations into meaningful insights that help media organizations, brands, and sports properties better understand audience engagement and emerging trends. At Sports Social Pulse™, Hayes provides strategic leadership on research design, analytics, and the interpretation of fan behavior across the rapidly evolving sports media landscape.
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Ehsan Mohammadi, Ph.D.
Data Science & Artificial Intelligence Advisor, Sports Social Pulse™ Associate Professor, University of South Carolina
Dr. Ehsan Mohammadi is an associate professor in the University of South Carolina's School of Information Science and a nationally recognized researcher in artificial intelligence, data science, social media analytics, and information systems. As director of the Hi Da Research Lab, he leads interdisciplinary research that combines large-scale computational analysis with human-centered inquiry to better understand how information spreads, influences behavior, and shapes decision-making. Mohammadi's research sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence, social media analytics, misinformation, health informatics, and data-driven management. His work has been published in leading academic journals and conferences and has received international recognition, including research featured in Science. A recipient of competitive research funding from organizations including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM), Mohammadi brings deep expertise in advanced analytics, machine learning, and the design of scalable research systems. At Sports Social Pulse™, Mohammadi provides leadership in data science, artificial intelligence, and computational analytics, helping transform millions of digital interactions into meaningful insights about fan engagement, audience behavior, and emerging trends across the sports industry.
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Ehsan Mohammadi, Ph.D.
Data Science & Artificial Intelligence Advisor, Sports Social Pulse™ Associate Professor, University of South Carolina
Dr. Ehsan Mohammadi is an associate professor in the University of South Carolina's School of Information Science and a nationally recognized researcher in artificial intelligence, data science, social media analytics, and information systems. As director of the Hi Da Research Lab, he leads interdisciplinary research that combines large-scale computational analysis with human-centered inquiry to better understand how information spreads, influences behavior, and shapes decision-making. Mohammadi's research sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence, social media analytics, misinformation, health informatics, and data-driven management. His work has been published in leading academic journals and conferences and has received international recognition, including research featured in Science. A recipient of competitive research funding from organizations including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM), Mohammadi brings deep expertise in advanced analytics, machine learning, and the design of scalable research systems. At Sports Social Pulse™, Mohammadi provides leadership in data science, artificial intelligence, and computational analytics, helping transform millions of digital interactions into meaningful insights about fan engagement, audience behavior, and emerging trends across the sports industry.
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Contact Us
Want to know more? Connect with us to see how the Sports Social Pulse™ can help drive smarter business decisions.
Let's Work Together
Contact Us
Want to know more? Connect with us to see how the Sports Social Pulse™ can help drive smarter business decisions.
Let's Work Together
Contact Us
Want to know more? Connect with us to see how the Sports Social Pulse™ can help drive smarter business decisions.
Let's Work Together
Contact Us
Want to know more? Connect with us to see how the Sports Social Pulse™ can help drive smarter business decisions.