By Dustin VandeHoef, College of Education intern
PULLMAN, Wash. – The author of a regional best-selling book about the launch of Seattle Sounders soccer as a major league franchise in 2009 will speak at 4:10 p.m. Wednesday, March 30, in Heald Hall G-3 at Washington State University.
Mike “The Gasman” Gastineau is a contributor to Pearl Jam Radio on SiriusXM hosting long form interviews with athletes and celebrities. He was a popular talk show host on Seattle’s KJR radio station for 21 years before writing “Sounders FC: Authentic Masterpiece” in 2013.
“Mike was allowed inside access to the Sounders management for a year,” said Tammy Crawford, a clinical assistant professor of sport management at WSU. “His book details decision-making processes, building a fan base, marketing and more.”
The Gordon-Enberg Sport Management Speaker Series brings noteworthy experts on sport-related topics to campus in order to spread new ideas and start a dialogue about current topics. It was founded in the College of Education in the 1980s by the faculty of the women’s physical education department as a way to honor the retiring professors whose name it bears, said Cathy Claussen, a sport management professor.