Bo Yu
-
Assistant Professor, Sport Management
-
School of Kinesiology
224C Cooke Hall
1900 University Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455-0376 - yub@umn.edu

Areas of interest
- Athlete branding
- Innovative technology
- Esports marketing
- Human-computer interaction
- PhD, Kinesiology, Texas A&M University, 2022
- MS, Physical Education, University of New Mexico, 2017
- MTI, Chinese-English Translation, Beijing Jiaotong University, 2015
- BA, English, Beijing Jiaotong University, 2012
Bo Yu, PhD, is an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on how innovative technology, such as esports, social live streaming services, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence, empowers athlete branding and personal development. In particular, his research explores the use of innovative technology to (1) enhance athlete personal branding and legacy branding, (2) drive fan behavior and engagement, (3) support athlete well-being and healthy development. His recent research funding from NCAA Innovations in Research and Practice Grant supported the development of a serious game to educate student-athletes about NIL, personal branding, and mental well-being.
Yu is currently accepting new graduate students for Fall 2025.
Honors and awards
- NCAA Innovations in Research and Practice Grant, 2023-2024
- Open Pedagogy Fellowship, University of New Haven, 2023
Teaching
- KIN 5631: Programming and Promotion in Sport
- SMGT 3141: Contemporary Esports Management
Google Scholar
UMN Experts
Orcid ID
- Qian, T. Y., Yu, B., Matz, R., Luo, L., Xu, C. L. (2023). Gamification for consumer loyalty: An exploration of unobserved heterogeneity in gamified esports social live streaming. Telematics and Informatics, 1020622. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2023.102062
- Yu, B., Brison, N. T., & Bennett, G. (2022). Why do women watch esports? A social role perspective on spectating motives and points of attachment. Computers in Human Behavior, 127, 107055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.107055
- Hussain, U., Yu, B., Cunningham, G. B., & Bennett, G. (2021). “I can be who I Am when I play Tekken 7”: E-sports women participants from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Games and Culture, 16(8), 978-1000. https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120211005360
- Hussain, U. & Yu, B. (2021). Repelolicer: A Reality or Snake Oil. South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases. https://doi.org/10.1177/22779779211014635
- Russell, A. M., Yu, B., Thompson, C. G., Sussman, S. Y., & Barry, A. E. (2020). Assessing the relationship between youth religiosity and their alcohol use: A Meta-analysis from 2008-2018. Addictive Behaviors, 106, 106361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106361