Kelly Nelson

Kelly Nelson is a sports anthropologist and writer. She has conducted ethnographic research among sports fans of women's professional team sports, including the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). As a Fulbright Visiting Lecturer in Japan in 2022, she taught courses on the history and culture of sports in the United States. At ASU, she teaches undergraduate classes on sports spectators, integrative thinking and organizational culture.

Nelson is the author of two poetry chapbooks, including "Rivers I Don't Live By," winner of the 2013 Concrete Wolf chapbook contest, and is the recipient of an Artist Research and Development Grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts. She served on Tempe's Arts and Culture Commission for eight years and teaches poetry and art classes in the community through ASU's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.