FiT Publishing is an international publisher in the sport sciences at the International Center for Performance Excellence (ICPE) in the College of Applied Human Sciences (CAHS) at West Virginia University.

Our mission is to disseminate educational products to a global audience on the most recent research in sport sciences by international scholars.

FiT publishes books, peer-reviewed journals, and digital products on sport and exercise psychology, counseling, sport and cultural studies, sport management, physical education and teacher education. Most of our textbooks are available in paperback and digital format (eBooks). We also work with organizations like Access Text Network to ensure students with disabilities have access to our textbooks.

We are always working to build and strengthen our relationships with higher education teaching and research faculty, wholesalers, distributors, bookstores and students to ensure that our books reach readers worldwide. FiT Publishing works with industry experts on the translation of textbooks to customers around the world. Our books are available at leading online bookstores and retail sites.

Our History

Fitness Information Technology (FiT) was incorporated in 1984. Our mission initially centered on the marketing and distribution of commercially produced sports and exercise videos. In 1988, FiT refocused its mission to become a premier publisher of textbooks in the sport and exercise psychology field. An academic reference book titled, Directory of Psychological Tests in the Sport and Exercise Sciences, was the first academic book published. It provided a comprehensive overview of sport- and exercise-psychology-specific tests that have been reported in the scientific literature over a 30-year period and received critical acclaim from the International Journal of Sport Psychology. The book served as the impetus for subsequent publications in the sport and exercise psychology field.

Journals

In 1992, FiT began publication of its first journal, the Sport Marketing Quarterly (SMQ), as it sought entry into the academic field of sport management. Dallas Branch, professor of sport marketing at WVU, served as the first journal editor, assembling some of the world's leading sport marketing experts to serve on the editorial board; a tradition of excellence that has continued over its 30 plus years in print. SMQ is designed to bridge the gap between sport marketing research and the needs of sport marketing professionals working in the corporate world. Today, SMQ is recognized internationally as a premier sport marketing journal with a subscriber base in more than 20 countries.

Sport Management Library (SML)

FiT grew significantly in 1995 when it published Financing Sport, the first textbook in the newly conceived Sport Management Library (SML). Recognizing the need for textbooks to accompany the academic courses, FiT worked with a coalition of professionals through the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) which established the NASSM-NASPE accreditation standards for college and university programs in sport management. Members of the NASSM-NASPE accreditation board, who are now recognized worldwide as leaders in the field of sport management, were invited by FiT Publishing to serve on an editorial board to establish a mission for the SML, identify internationally recognized authors in the field, and to oversee the acquisition and development of undergraduate student sport management textbooks. The success of the SML series and its growth necessitated expansion of FiT textbooks to a worldwide distribution network in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Australia, and New Zealand.

Trade Books

In 1998, FiT established a line of trade of books intended for the general public, beginning with the highly successful, Exercising Your Way to Better Mental Health. Trade distribution with Book World in Sarasota, Florida, and with Hushion House Publishing in Toronto, Canada fostered sales in bookstore chain outlets.

Online Products

In 1999, FiT began production of a full line of electronic products with its first online database, The Directory of Psychological Tests in the Sport and Exercise Sciences. Next came electronic downloads of all articles published in SMQ. Chapters of several reference books also became available as downloadable products, and the establishment of an electronic psychological test division. In the fall of 2002, FiT published the first of many sport and exercise-specific psychology tests, titled, Group Environment Questionnaire, online.

International Goals

In 2004, Fitness Information Technology became part of the International Center for Performance Excellence at the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences (CPASS) at West Virginia University, where efforts concentrate on producing high quality print and electronic textbooks in the sport sciences, along with two scholarly journals, International Journal of Sport Finance, and Sport Marketing Quarterly. In 2014, Fitness Information Technology became FiT Publishing, a premier small publisher of educational products, which underpins the international research and engagement mission of the ICPE.

New College, Renewed Commitment

In 2021, the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences became the College of Applied Human Sciences. FiT has renewed its commitment to the exchange of ideas, of leading efforts at the international dissemination of the highest quality educational products in the sport sciences from authors and experts all over the world.