Her research focus is sport and culture in the United States. She is particularly interested in the influence of gender and ethnicity on sport consumption and fandom.
Dr. Sutton recently completed her dissertation research on the topic of Arab American women and the role of sport in their social and personal lives. Using qualitative methods, she explores the social lives of high school football moms and female sports fans in Southeast Detroit, MI areas to better understand how Arab American women’s distinct social identities influence their participation in sport culture.
Dr. Sutton’s previous research explored the liminal identity of semi-professional athletes, such as Professional Ultimate Frisbee players. In this research, she used the lens of diet to examine how athletes defined themselves as liminal in social, economic, and physical ways. Outside of her current research, she continues to be interested in the intersection of food, sport, and economic relationships among athletes and fans.
Dr. Sutton is a lecturer for Introduction to Anthropology and Introduction to Physical Anthropology, undergraduate Anthropology courses at The Ohio State University. In 2018, she was awarded the Anthropology Department's Graduate Teaching Assistant Award for the 2017-2018 academic year. She has worked as an anthropology instructor since 2016, teaching courses at The Ohio State University and Wittenberg University.
Originally from Massachusetts, Dr. Sutton is a New England sports fan and therefore always dodging vexed looks on game day. In her free time, she can usually be found watching her friends play music around Columbus.
