Brian Petrotta is an assistant professor of sports media and communications for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications. He joined the CoJMC faculty in 2021. Since then, Petrotta has taught SPMC 150 (Introduction to Sport Media and Communication), SPMC 464 (Sport Media Relations and Promotion), SPMC 877 (Content Strategy in Sport Promotion). He also created and has twice taught a special topics class titled Sports Betting and Media. 

His research has appeared in Communication & Sport, International Gambling Studies, International Journal of Communication and Sport, Journal of Sports Media (a University of Nebraska Press publication), Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, and Journalism and Mass Communication Educator. His article "From Prohibition to Promotion: Framing and Sourcing the Legalization of Sports Betting in the U.S." arose from his dissertation and was published in Communication & Sport in 2023. 

In 2024, Petrotta was awarded a $5,000 ESPN Research Fellowship through UNLV’s International Gaming Institute. He also conducted research as part of a larger grant secured by UNL from the National Center for Problem Gambling (NCPG). 

Petrotta has presented research at numerous national and international academic conferences, including the International Association of Communication and Sport (IACS), the Association for the Education of Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), the International Communication Association (ICA), the National Communication Association (NCA), International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC), and North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS). 

Petrotta currently serves as Head of the Sports Communication Interest Group for AEJMC. Previously, he served as Vice Head, Research Chair and Graduate Student Liaison for the group. In 2021, Petrotta served as Chair of the Awards Committee for the Communication and Sport Division of the National Communication Association (NCA). 

Petrotta spent 15 years working in sports media as a play-by-play broadcaster and Sports Information Director. He began his career performing play-by-play for minor league baseball teams in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Ogden, Utah, Battle Creek, Michigan, and Vero Beach, Florida. While in Vero Beach, he assisted with public relations efforts for the Los Angeles Dodgers during Spring Training. In 2006, he broadcast several Dodgers games as lead play-by-play broadcaster on the Los Angeles Dodgers Radio Network. Following the 2006 baseball season, Petrotta became the Sports Information Director at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, where he oversaw publicity efforts for future MLB Cy Young winner Corey Kluber’s All-America campaign. Petrotta later transitioned to Wichita State University, where he served as an assistant SID and play-by-play broadcaster for women’s basketball. He also called select volleyball matches and baseball games (TV) while serving as a fill-in television studio host for the weekly Shocker Sports Report.

Petrotta earned his Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, his M.S. from Oklahoma State University’s School of Media and Strategic Communication, and his B.S. from the University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism.