Editor’s Note: This is the third installment in a series about Ohio University professors who come from different countries.
It’s safe to say that Gerard Akindes has an affinity for sports.
He played semi-professional basketball for five years in West Africa, coached basketball for 10 years while studying and working in Belgium and is now an instructor in sport management.
“I love all sports, and I love the feel of sports,” he said. “It’s not just a game; it is more than just playing and coaching and business.”
Akindes spent the first 20 years of his life in West Africa, growing up in Benin, finishing high school in Togo and then starting college in Cote d’Ivoire before leaving Africa and moving to Belgium.
Akindes made the choice to study at OU after visiting his brother, Simon, who was working on his doctorate in instructional technology.
The hardest part of moving to Athens was the language, Akindes said.
“I was French-speaking and had never spoken English on a regular basis, so I wasn’t fluent,” he said. “It was also hard having full economic independence while being a student full time; I had to work odd jobs to pay the fees.”
Before he got into sports administration, Akindes studied accounting, economics and social sciences in Belgium. When he first started at OU, Akindes said he was thinking of a master’s in accounting when finishing his African Studies master’s but decided to go with his passion — sports administration.
Akindes has a keen ability to reach out to those around him, and he’s passionate about his work, said B. David Ridpath, associate professor of sports management.
“Gerard is a great friend and an outstanding faculty member, who brings interesting ideas to the table,” Ridpath said. “He has such a passion for helping his home continent and using sports as a vehicle for social change.”
Akindes co-founded the Sports in Africa conference and Impumelelo, the Interdisciplinary e-Journal of African Sports in 2004, which brings scholars and practitioners to OU each year to discuss sports and related issues in Africa and the global south.
The conference is a fantastic idea that has grown and broadened its scope since it first began, said Michael Pfahl, assistant professor of sports administration.
“I was particularly excited and impressed by the inclusion of undergraduate students in the conference over the past few years,” he said. “Their research and interests added a special diversity to the events.”
Akindes has worked to help the department achieve its goals, Pfahl added.
“His work brought numerous benefits to the Department of Sports Administration and helped to expand our presence in the Middle East and Africa through grant work and innovative programs,” he said.
However, Akindes will now be moving on to other openings. After being at Ohio University for 14 years, Akindes’ contract will not be renewed, and he will seek other opportunities at the end of the semester. His salary is $50,000 a year.
“I’ll be looking for opportunities in sport for sure,” he said. “In academia, if the opportunity is there, I’ll take it, but I’ll do what comes my way and is best for me.”
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