Dr. Andrew Dix
Associate Professor

Departments / Programs
Degree Information
- PHD, University of Southern Mississippi (2012)
- MA, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (2007)
- BA, Western Illinois University (2001)
Areas of Expertise
Communication in Sports
Humor during Social Interaction
Interpersonal Attraction
Biography
I currently serve as the coordinator of COMM 2200 (director of the basic course).
Publications
Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications:
Dix, A. C. (Accepted). Indications of referee bias in Division I women's college volleyball: Testing expectancy violations and examining nonverbal communication. International Journal of Sport Communication.
Dix, A.C. (Advanced Online Publication). Stay woke: An analysis of how referees evaluate the in-game communication of an HBCU that competes in a PWI conference. Communication and Sport.
Read More »Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications:
Dix, A. C. (Accepted). Indications of referee bias in Division I women's college volleyball: Testing expectancy violations and examining nonverbal communication. International Journal of Sport Communication.
Dix, A.C. (Advanced Online Publication). Stay woke: An analysis of how referees evaluate the in-game communication of an HBCU that competes in a PWI conference. Communication and Sport. https://doi.org/10.1177/21674795221103407
Dix, A. C. (2022). The non-sweet sixteen: Referee bias against Historically Black Colleges and Universities in men's college basketball. Sociology of Sport Journal, 39, 118-124. doi: 10.1123/ssj.2020-0187 https://doi.org/10.1123ssj.2020-0187
Dix, A. C., Asbury, M. B., & Brojakowski, B. (2021). Beneath the makeup and beyond the frames: A nonverbal study on perceptions of female college athletes who wear cosmetic products in their headshot photograph. Kentucky Journal of Communication, 40, 24-44.
Dix, A. C. (2021). Referee judgments of communication in the field of play: A study on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in division II college football. International Journal of Sport Communication. 14, 554-573. doi: 10.1123/ijsc.2021-0032 https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.2021-0032
Dix, A. C. (2021). Their hands communicate and their eyes listen: Perceptions of small group messages amongst Deaf college basketball players. Communication and Sport, 9, 972-987. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167479520913076
Dix, A. C. (2021). Softball umpires call more walks than strikeouts when the pitcher plays for a Historically Black College and University. International Journal of Sport Culture and Science, 9, 91-103.
Dix, A. C. (2020). Critical race theory, the NCAA, and college baseball: Contradiction on the diamond. In M. Milford & L. R. Smith (Eds.), Communication and contradiction in the NCAA: An unlevel playing field (pp. 213-234). New York: Peter Lang.
Dix, A. C. (2020). Heard to believe: A perceptual study of a marginalized sport co-culture on others' willingness to listen. The Florida Communication Journal, 48, 165-181.
Dix, A. C. (2020). And 10 more years of bias against HBCU female basketball players. Texas Speech Communication Journal, 44, 1-18.
Dix, A. C. (2020). Perceptions of the intragroup communication that is believed to exist amongst successful and unsuccessful basketball teams. Northwest Journal of Communication, 47, 131-152.
Dix, A. C. (2019). "And 1" more piece of evidence of discrimination against black basketball players. Howard Journal of Communications, 30, 211-229. doi: 10.1080/10646175.2018.1491434 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10646175.2018.1491434
Dix, A. C. (2017). Perceptions of the on-field success and likeability of athletes after claims of interpersonal domestic violence. The Florida Communication Journal, 45, 67-80.
Dix, A. C. (2017). A decade of referee bias against college football programs from historically black colleges and universities. International Journal of Science Culture and Sport, 5, 197-212. doi: 10.14486/IntJSCS670
Dix, A. C. (2017). Comparing and contrasting the communication of dark-skinned and light-skinned African American basketball players. Journal of the Speech and Theatre Association of Missouri, 47, 47-69.
Dix, A. C. (2016). Allegations of performance-enhancing drug use and their affect on perceptions of athlete intellect. International Journal of Sport Studies, 6, 412-422.
Dix, A. C. (2015). Ethos in sports: An Aristotelian examination focused on source credibility and the modern day athlete. Sport Science Review, 24, 267-284.
Dix, A. C. (2015). Sociocommunicative style in sport: A perceptual investigation focused on sexual orientation and communication in the game of football. The Florida Communication Journal, 43, 77-90.
Dix, A. C. (2015). This is not an inside joke: Perceptible attributes influence the successful communication of humor. Ohio Communication Journal, 53, 11-27.
Dix, A. C. (2014). Laughing all the way to the questionnaire bank: A mixed methods examination of humor appreciation after a brief communication. Israeli Journal of Humor Research: An International Journal, 5, 8-25.
Dix, A. C. (2013). A new era of courtship: Let me contemplate our speed-date to determine the interconnectedness of conversation and physical attraction. Interpersona: An International Journal of Personal Relationships, 7, 246-259.
Dix, A. C. (2013). Exploring intelligence and interpersonal communication: An analysis of intellectual perceptions in a real dating arena. Iowa Journal of Communication, 45, 135-154.
Awards
Selected Awards:
(2023) Top Paper in the Sports Communication Division of the Central States Communication Association
(2022) Top Paper in the Sports Communication Division of the Central States Communication Association
(2020) Faculty Research and Creative Activity Award for the College of Liberal Arts at Middle Tennessee State University
(2019) Top Paper in the Sports Communication Division of the Central States Communication Association
(2018) Top Pa...
Read More »Selected Awards:
(2023) Top Paper in the Sports Communication Division of the Central States Communication Association
(2022) Top Paper in the Sports Communication Division of the Central States Communication Association
(2020) Faculty Research and Creative Activity Award for the College of Liberal Arts at Middle Tennessee State University
(2019) Top Paper in the Sports Communication Division of the Central States Communication Association
(2018) Top Paper in the Intercultural Communication Division of the Southern States Communication Association
(2016) Top Papers Session for the Communication and Sport Division of the National Communication Association
Research / Scholarly Activity
My research agenda focuses on the intersection of communication and sport. The most recent line of scholarship that I have explored within this purview has concentrated on exposing socio-cultural issues in the world of intercollegiate athletics. More specifically, I use statistical methods to uncover patterns of referee bias that have placed minority groups at a disadvantage on the field of play. My previous sports communication research looked at perceptions of athlete sexuality and the perc...
Read More »My research agenda focuses on the intersection of communication and sport. The most recent line of scholarship that I have explored within this purview has concentrated on exposing socio-cultural issues in the world of intercollegiate athletics. More specifically, I use statistical methods to uncover patterns of referee bias that have placed minority groups at a disadvantage on the field of play. My previous sports communication research looked at perceptions of athlete sexuality and the perceptual effects of being linked to performance-enhancing drugs in sports. It was at the beginning of my academic career that my research investigated interpersonal attraction and the communication of humor.
In the Media
1) The Daily Mail (UK):
2) College Basketball Today:
3) Current Newspapers (Washington, D.C.):
https://currentnewspapers.com/more-fouls-hbcu-women/
4) Blacks in Higher Education:
5) HBCU Digest:
https://hbcudigest.com/study-suggests-bias-in-officiating-of-hbcu-womens-basketball-games/
6) It'sBiggerthanBasketball.com:
7) InsideHigherEd.com:
8) DiverseEducation.com:
https://diverseeducation.com/article/128341/
9) The Nashville Post: https://www.nashvillepost.com/sports/sports-business/blog/21025582/mtsu-study-finds-bias-in-basketball-officiating
10) Nashville Public Radio:
11) AthleticManagement.com:
http://athleticmanagement.com/content/study-indicates-officiating-bias
12) GlobalSportsMatters.com:
https://globalsportmatters.com/youth/2018/11/19/study-shows-hbcu-teams-penalized-more-than-others/
13) Minnesota Spokesman Recorder (Parts 1 of 3):
14) TheSportsToday.info
https://thesportstoday.info/female-basketball-players-face-disproportionate-racial-bias-study/
Courses
Courses Taught:
Sports Rhetoric
Communication and Sport
Sports Communication and Public Relations
Research Methods
Interpersonal Communication
Strategic Communication in Organizations
Introduction to Organizational Communication
Small Group Communication
Business and Professional Speaking
Fundamentals of Communication
Introduction to Human Communication