Timothy Piper

Assistant Professor, Communication Studies

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Timothy (Tim) Piper is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Furman University. He researches and teaches about the intersections of industry and identity, and especially focuses on this dynamic within US television and sports media. His current research project explores the parallel growths of the National Basketball Association and the multi-channel television industry amid the burgeoning colorblindism of the 1970s and early ‘80s. His previous work has been published in The Moving Image and the International Journal of Communication.

Prior to joining the Furman faculty in Fall 2024, Tim served as an Assistant Professor of Communication and Film and Media Studies at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA. Before that, he lived in Austin, TX and Chicago, IL (where he was born and raised). Outside of teaching and research, he spends his free time biking, baking, and watching many (many (many)) hours of film and TV. He also follows sports—for research as much as for pleasure—with a particular eye toward NBA and WNBA basketball. And while it may not technically count as "sports," he's an unabashed fan of pro wrestling.

Education

  • Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin
  • M.A., University of Texas at Austin
  • B.A., Northern Illinois University

Publications

  • “#NoJusticeNoLeBron and the Persistence of Messianic Masculinity in Black Athlete Activism.” International Journal of Communication 16, no. 1 (2022): 1-23.
  • “Where ‘Post-Race’ Happens: National Basketball Association Branding and the Recontextualization of Archival Sports Footage.” The Moving Image 18, no. 1 (2018): 1-24.

Research Interests

  • Media Industries
  • Race/Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality, Class, and Representation
  • Sports Media
  • US Television
  • Media History

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