John A. Fortunato

John Fortunato

Professor
Communications and Media Management
Joined Fordham: 2007

General Information:
140 W. 62nd Street, Room 304,
New York, NY 10023

Email: [email protected]

  • John A. Fortunato is a professor of communications and media management at the Gabelli School of Business. Before coming to Fordham, he was a professor in the advertising and public relations department at the University of Texas at Austin and also taught at St. Peter's College. He earned his Ph.D. in 1999 from Rutgers University in New Jersey.

    Professor Fortunato is the author of six books: Miracle of Effort: Thalia’s Autism Journey; Making the Cut:  Life Inside the PGA Tour System; Sponsorship: Principles and Practices, Commissioner, The Legacy of Pete Rozelle; Making Media: The Influence of Constituency Groups on Mass Media Content; and The Ultimate Assist: The Relationship and Broadcast Strategies of the National Basketball Association and Television Network. 

    Dr. Fortunato worked for NBC Sports during the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympic Games and was a play-by-play radio announcer for St. Peter's College basketball.

    • Ph.D.: Rutgers University
    • Master's: William Paterson University
    • Bachelor's: William Paterson University
    • Sports Media and Promotional Communication
    • Advertising and Sponsorship
    • Public Relations
    • Broadcasting
    • Crisis Communication
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2023).  Miracle of Effort:  Thalia’s autism journey.  Archway Publishing.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2023).  “Debating outcomes of the Antitrust challenges between the PGA Tour and the LIV Golf Tour.”  Marquette Sports Law Review.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2023).  “Crisis framing:  One Jesuit university’s response to the Catholic priest sexual abuse and cover up crisis.”  Journal of Communication & Religion, 45(4), 41-56.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2022). “The next frontier:  NIL reconciling Antitrust Law with effective sponsorship.”  Mississippi Sports Law Review, 11(1), 5-20.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2021).  “Institutional crisis assessment and mission-driven response in practice:   One religious-affiliated university’s response to the Catholic priest sexual abuse and cover up crisis.”  Public Relations Review, 47(5), 1-10.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2021).  “Suspense and a sports league brand revitalization:  Initiatives of the PGA Tour.”  Journal of Brand Strategy, 10(2), 127-137.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2020).  “The ethics of media framing:  Examining sports gambling as a legally permitted activity.”  Media Ethics, 32(1), www.mediaethicsmagazine.com. The Ethics of Media Framing: Examining Sports Gambling as a Legally Permitted Activity - mediaethicsmagazine.com
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2020).  “Producing and promoting the sports gambling industry since the 2018 United States Supreme Court ruling:  A review of organizational action through suspense theory.”  The Journal of Gambling Business and Economics, 13(1), 117-133.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2020).  “The NCAA Commission on College Basketball:  Institution maintenance and reputation management in practice.” Journal of Global Sport Management (Special Issue on Reputational Management in Sport), 5(2), 147-166.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2019).  Making the cut:  Life inside the PGA Tour system.  Jefferson, NC:  McFarland & Co. Publishing.
    • Fortunato, J.A., & Gigliotti, R.A. (2019).  “Non-causality crisis response and organizational reputation:  The actions of CVS to the opioid epidemic.”  Journal of Brand Strategy, 8(1), 1-14.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2018).  “Understanding a non-causality crisis response:
    • Examining the Florida Panthers response to Hurricane Irma.”  Public Relations Review, 44(5), 776-783.
    • Fortunato, J.A., Gigliotti, R.A., & Ruben, B.D. (2018).  “Analyzing the dynamics of crisis leadership in higher education: A study of racial incidents at the University of Missouri.”  Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 26(4), 510-518.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2018).  “Sports leagues’ game exposure policies:  Economic and legal complexities.”  Journal of Global Sport Management, 3(1), 1-17.
    • Fortunato, J.A., Gigliotti, R.A., & Ruben, B.D. (2017).  “Racial incidents at the University of Missouri:  The value of leadership communication and stakeholder relationships.”  The International Journal of Business Communication (Special issue on Leadership Communication), 54(2), 199-209.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2017).  “The FIFA crisis:  Examining sponsor response options.”  Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 25(2), 68-78.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2016).  “Agenda-setting through the television programming schedule:  An examination of Major League Baseball on Fox.”  International Journal on Media Management, 18(3/4), 163-180.
    • Fortunato, J.A., & Martin, S.E.  (2016).  “The Intersection of agenda-setting and campaign finance in a digital media world.”  Journal of Information Policy, 6, 129-153.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2016).  “Legal consistency in sports gambling:  Can Antitrust Law and understanding sponsorship provide a legal path for states to permit wagering on sports games?”  Arizona State University Sports and Entertainment Law Journal, 5(2), 219-274.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2016). Business-to-business sponsorship opportunities: Examining UPS’ functional congruence with the NCAA. Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science (Special issue on Business-to-Business Marketing), 26(1), 36-50.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2016). How the Citi Olympic Sponsorship Strategy uses the Knowledge of the Elaboration Likelihood Model. Journal of Financial Services Marketing, 21(1), 76-85.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2015). Changing the competitive environment for sports broadcast rights. In J. McGuire, G.G. Armfield, & A.C. Earnheardt (Eds.). The ESPN effect: Exploring the worldwide leader in sports (pp. 23-35). Peter Lang Publishing Group.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2015). The advocacy and corrective strategies of the National Football League: Addressing concussions and player safety. Journal of Conflict Management, 3(1), 7-21.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2015). The sponsorship function in collegiate athletics: Discussing a potential outcome of the Jenkins v. NCAA lawsuit. University of Denver Sports and Entertainment Law Journal, 17, 91-119.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2015). Sponsorship and the elaboration likelihood model: BMW’s 2014 Winter Olympic marketing strategy. Journal of Brand Strategy, 4(1), 83-95.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2015). Media. In T. Strecker (Ed.). Understanding baseball: A textbook (pp. 96-142). Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. Publishing.
    • Fortunato, J.A., and Williams, JD (2014). Using marketing theory to increase African-American participation with Major League Baseball. In L.L. Martin (Ed.). Out of bounds: Racism and the black athlete (pp. 55-80). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger Publishers.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2014). Sponsorship implications of the Lance Armstrong v. USPS lawsuit. University of California Berkeley Journal of Entertainment & Sports Law, 3(1), 72-85.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2014). Setting the media agenda: A study of Angelina Jolie’s op-ed announcing her undergoing a preventative double mastectomy. Florida Communication Journal, 42(1), 1-9.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2013). Sponsorship activation and social responsibility: How MasterCard and Major League Baseball partner to Stand Up To Cancer. Journal of Brand Strategy, 2(3), 300-311.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2013). Television broadcast rights: Still the golden goose. In P.M. Pedersen (Ed.). Routledge Handbook of Sport Communication (pp. 188-196). New York, NY: Routledge.
    • Sports Sponsorship: Principles and Practices. McFarland, 2013.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2012). The many faces of "fans:" How the NBA reaches out to its different audience segments. In A.C. Earnheardt, P.M. Haridakis, & B. Hugenberg, (Eds.). Sports fans, identity and socialization: Exploring the fandemonium (165-176). Lanham, MD: Lexington.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2012). CBS promotion of future programming during the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Journal of Promotion Management, 18(4), 474-488.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2011). Digital media & sports advertising. In M.S. Eastin, T. Daugherty, & N.M. Burns (Ed.). Handbook of research on digital media and advertising: User generated content consumption (pp. 491-506). Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2011) Confronting obesity: The corporate social responsibility of McDonald's. Advances in Management, 4(10), 20-23.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2011). The influence of fantasy football on NFL television ratings. Journal of Sports Administration & Supervision, 3(1), 74-90.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2011). Dancing in the dark: Ticketmaster's response to its Bruce Springsteen ticket crisis. Public Relations Review, 37(1), 77-79.
    • Fortunato, J.A. & Martin, S.E. (2010). American Needle v. NFL: Legal and Sponsorship Implications. University of Denver Sports and Entertainment Law Journal, 9, 73-82.
    • Fortunato, J.A., & Williams, JD (2010). Essay: Major League Baseball and African-American participation: Is free television part of the solution? Journal of Sport Media,5(1), 79-83.
    • Fortunato, J.A. (2009). Using sponsorship as a form of public relations: A case study of Chevrolet and Major League Baseball. Journal of Sponsorship, 4(2), 330-339.
    • Fortunato, J.A., & Martin, S.E. (2008). The Supreme Court perspective of media effects as expressed in campaign finance reform. Texas Wesleyan Law Review, 14(2), 197-215.