IJSM Contents & Abstracts Volume 23, (2022)
NUMBER 1, MARCH, 2022
ISBN 978-0-89641-623-9
Can Emerging Markets Leverage MSEs for Entrepreneurship: Towards a Set of Policy Implications — Rauf Mammadov, Ted Hayduk III — Relatively little research has been conducted on the impact of mega events on local entrepreneurs, especially in developing countries. The purpose of this paper was to investigate whether emerging markets can leverage mega sporting events (MSEs) to create entrepreneurial opportunities by examining whether policies adopted by host countries were beneficial to local businesses. From this, we aim to produce a set of policy implications reflecting best practices should a host region aim to stimulate entrepreneurship from a MSE. In that pursuit, the authors conduct a systematic review of published literature related to the expectations and outcomes of the 2010, 2014, and 2018 FIFA World Cups. In so doing, we map the impact and legacy of event planning strategies on entrepreneurial opportunities in developing economies and derive implications for future events. The analysis indicates that the endogenous management of investments in different sectors and the involvement of entrepreneurs in the planning of the event could help achieve a positive and lasting impact on entrepreneurship and business innovation. Keywords: entrepreneurship; innovation; MSEs. (1-32)
Advancing the Athlete Brand: Evaluating the Current Landscape of Athlete Logos — Zack P. Pedersen, Antonio S. Williams — Athletes from around the world have recognized the benefits associated with establishing and growing their own personal brand. This realization has led many athletes to invest in themselves as a business and brand, consequently encouraging them to tie their brand to a symbolic image (e.g., logo). The current investigation evaluates the usage of personal logos as they pertain to some of the world’s richest and most famous athletes. An evaluation of athlete social media pages was utilized, to establish which athletes employed a personal logo in the marketplace. Of the (N = 216) different athlete social media pages examined, there were (n = 146) athletes that currently use a personal logo. The current state of design practices (e.g., typeface, brand associations) within these respective logos are reviewed in this study. The implications of personal logo usage and where athletes can benefit from such a symbol are discussed as well. Keywords: athlete brand, branding, logos, brand marks, content analysis. (33-54)
Assessing the Link between Program Components and Outcomes in an Olympic-themed Sport-for-Development Initiative — Wonjun Choi, Mi Ryoung Chung, NaRi Shin, Jon Welty Peachey — The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between sport, cultural, and educational components and the development of friendship, determination, courage, and equality among children in a local, sport-for-development (SFD) initiative. The three-month program was launched at a local Boys and Girls Club for children in third through fifth grade. A mixed-methods approach was used in the present study. Post-program interviews with children and their parents, combined with direct observations, revealed that the program played some role in developing all four outcomes. However, quantitative findings based on pre- and post-surveys indicated that over the three months, the children developed only respect for equality through the sport-based context. Qualitative findings also suggested that the physical/sport component was related more to the development of friendship and courage, whereas the cultural component combined with educational lessons contributed more to respect for equality. Finally, special events had the greatest influence on the participants’ determination. Keywords: sport-for-development; Olympic education; sport-for-development theory; youth development; youth education. (55-74)
AN EDITORIAL—
Scarcity From Theory to Practice and Back Again: Introducing a New Direction — Ryan Snelgrove, Laura Wood — This article discusses the philosophy behind and intended outcomes of Theory in Practice (TIP) articles. These articles are intended to build a connection between theory and practice by either using a theory to analyze a specific happening in the field of sport management, or using an analysis of a happening to identify opportunities to enhance an existing theory. Three main benefits that could arise from writing, publishing, and sharing TIP articles are described, including the inspiration of new ways of thinking about practice, the identification of opportunities for future research that may build novel theory, and the development of theory-practice examples that help instructors teach theory. (75-77)NUMBER 2, JUNE, 2022
ISBN 978-0-89641-626-0
Exploring Student Perspectives of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives in Sport through a Constructivist Learning Lens — Elizabeth A. Taylor, Molly Hayes Sauder, Michael Mudrick, Jaime R. DeLuca — Research has found many benefits to enhancing diversity and inclusion within the workplace thus, leading many organizations to espouse a renewed emphasis. However, actual progress is slow, particularly within the sport industry. Some sport management scholars have started looking to sport management students as a potential source of social change within the industry (i.e., the “future” of the industry). Therefore, this study seeks to understand the relationship between Constructivist Learning Theory, Social Dominance Orientation, and student perceptions of diversity and inclusion within sport organizations. A mixed method approach was utilized to collect data from undergraduate sport management students. Qualitative findings illustrated how students were engaging in a constructivist learning approach both within the classroom and internship/work setting while quantitative results found that students with higher levels of Social Dominance Orientation (i.e., white men) were more likely to have weaker perceptions about the value of, and attraction to, diversity in the workplace. Students’ constructivist learning appeared to be happening as both a result of their identities and in spite of their identities. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Key Words: Constructivist Learning Theory, Social Dominance Orientation, Diversity, Inclusion, Sport Management Education. (81-101)
The Importance of Considering Value-Laden Traditions and Organizational Practices when Leading Change in Intercollegiate Athletics — Ryan Snelgrove, Spencer Riehl, Joseph M. Villanueva — The purpose of this article is to contribute to understandings of why organizational change can be unsuccessful in an intercollegiate athletics environment, using Dave Brandon’s leadership of the athletics department at the University of Michigan as an illustrative example. Facing a precipitous decline in the performance of the football team, Michigan sought change and hired Brandon. Although some of the changes Brandon implemented could be considered successful, his approach to leading change was met with significant resistance from stakeholders and his tenure was considered by many to be a failure. We draw on organizational change literature to explain what happened in theoretical terms. Our analysis suggests that Brandon was unsuccessful at leading change due to a disregard for value-laden traditions and organizational practices. The article concludes by discussing opportunities for future research. Keywords. values, organizational change, leadership. (102-110)
Marketing Areas of Oversight and Organizational Elements: A Qualitative Examination of the Marketing of a Sport within Intercollegiate Athletics — Jonathan J. Benedek, Tyler Ratts, Braden Norris, Paul M. Pedersen — Intercollegiate athletics is a multi-billion-dollar segment of the sport industry. Within college sports, football generates the most revenue and media attention while also providing benefits to universities through school spirit, pride in the institution, and support from donors. Previous work has evaluated the relationship between sport marketing and intercollegiate athletics through evaluations of the consumer perspective, but limited attention has been given to the perspectives of the sport organizations or practitioners responsible for the marketing exchange. Therefore, this study utilizes the sport marketing management process model to examine the marketing efforts of professionals (i.e., football sport marketing directors [N=14]) tasked with promoting college football within a particular conference (i.e., Big Ten Conference). In doing so, the research fills a gap in the literature by further evaluating the marketing processes relied upon by intercollegiate athletic departments and the organizational factors impacting these decisions. Using a phenomenological approach, data were collected using semi-structured interviews with each football marketing director. The emerging themes involved marketing areas of oversight (i.e., increasing ticket sales and attendance, game day event marketing, and program branding) and organizational elements (i.e., structure, culture, and collaboration). Keywords: intercollegiate athletics, marketing, marketing directors, football. (111-138)
Using Self-Determination Theory to Enhance Sport Management Education — Angela Lumpkin — Autonomy, competence, and relatedness, innate human psychological needs comprising self-determination theory, contribute to the activation, persistence, and intensity of each individual’s motivation. Using self-determination theory as a framework, this work describes how teachers in sport management courses use principles of good teaching to help students strengthen their feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Since students prefer to have autonomous control of their learning, effective teaching requires helping students develop their metacognitive abilities and use metacognitive strategies to learn optimally. Developing a growth mindset increases students’ feelings of competence. When sport management teachers use engaging learning activities, students’ strengthen their abilities to practically apply new knowledge. Teachers can use video introductions, icebreakers, and in-class learning activities to ensure each student feels they belong while interacting continually with classmates and a caring teacher. Relatedness in classrooms strengthens student learning. Keywords: autonomy, competence, relatedness, teaching, learning. (139-147)
NUMBER 3, SEPTEMBER, 2022
ISBN 978-0-89641-627-7
Instant Fan Community: Utilizing Social Network Theory To Understand Sport Fan Community Building — Brandon Mastromartino — To the surprise of many, some recent professional sport expansion franchises have been able to cultivate strong fan communities before their team ever played a game. Teams such as the Vegas Golden Knights of the NHL and Atlanta United of MLS sold high amounts of season tickets, broke attendance records, and sustained high levels of fan interest through their first few years of existence. Notably, their strategies involved developing relationships within fan groups, or networks, to cultivate community with the team brand at the forefront. This article examines these successes through the lens of Social Network Theory and provides insights on how sport fan’s connections to other fans explain their connection to the team itself. In addition, this article offers practical solutions for sport marketers looking to replicate their success. Keywords: Social Network Theory, Sport Fan Community, Sport Fans, Brand Community. (151-160)
Green Fields, Blue Skies: Environmental Justice through Stadium Design and Operations — Timothy Kellison — Historically, major sports stadiums produce limited environmental benefits to those living in the neighborhoods nearby. Like landfills, polluting factories, and other heavy industrial facilities associated with environmental hazards, stadiums may perpetuate existing inequities that further disadvantage communities of color. Conversely, this commentary discusses how today’s sports stadiums may be used to support environmental justice reforms through innovative sustainable design and thoughtful community outreach. Two contemporary examples, Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena, are highlighted, while acknowledging that neither is without its flaws. The article concludes with three directions for future research and a call for critical inquiry that cuts across disciplinary, methodological, and geographical boundaries. — Keywords: sport ecology, environment, sustainability, environmental racism, climate change, sport facilities. (161-169)
Organizational Resources and Collaboration Between Sport Clubs: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis — Arthur Lefebvre, Geraldine Zeimers, Benoit Rihoux, Thierry Zintz — This study aims to identify resource-based profiles of sport clubs related to collaboration and non-collaboration with other sport clubs. Organizational capacity is used to frame this study theoretically. A qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) (n = 427) was carried out. Results identified five collaboration profiles and three related to non-collaboration between sport clubs. This study makes three main contributions to the sport collaboration literature. First, it contributes to the non-profit sport collaboration literature by identifying profiles of collaborating and non-collaborating sport clubs. Second, our research provides new insights about non-collaborating sport organizations and introduces the notion of asymmetry. Finally, this study demonstrates the relevancy of adopting configurational thinking in sport management. Practically, our research offers implications for managers of sport clubs. — Keywords: Organizational Capacity; Partnerships; QCA; Non-Profit Sport Organizations; Inter-organizational Relationships; Community Sport Club (170-190)
What to Know about Building Theory with Archival Research: Modes and Epistemological Orientations — Tiffany Demiris, Chad Seifried — The present critical commentary explains how epistemological orientations and modes of archival research can impact theory development. Archival research is positioned as a distinct but also a complementary research approach to more popular methodologies such as qualitative and quantitative research. Within, descriptions are provided and differentiation is established about modernist, postmodernist, and a modernist epistemologies to highlight they are concurrently theory and method to archival researchers. Next, research modes such as historiographic, ecological, and new archivalist are presented to acknowledge their importance as a methodological approach that can interact with modernist, postmodernist, and a modernist epistemologies in theory construction. The overall goal of the present critical commentary is to improve understanding about the potential contribution archival research can make to studying various topics of interest in sport management and to reduce anxiety about the method in the eyes of the unfamiliar. (191-200)
Hosting the Olympic Games—Revisiting the Connection between Hosting the Games and Olympic Success — Jaana T. Kari, Esa Mangeloja, Timo Tohmo — The Olympic Games are considered the world’s foremost sports competition attracting more than 200 participating nations. This paper analyzes the country-specific successes in the Summer Olympic Games held from 1960–2016. Several studies have documented that macroeconomic factors affect Olympic success. In addition, the host effect has been found to impact the success; however, it is unknown for how many years before and after the home Games the host effect can be detected. We found that the experience as a Games organizer, GDP, population, the country’s share of agricultural land, military expenses, and life expectancy are positively related to Olympic success. Specifically, we found an inverted U-shaped connection between the host effect and Olympic success: being a host country is found to be a positive factor in explaining the number of medals won, not just during the home Games but also eight years before and after organizing the Games. This finding suggests that hosting the Olympic Games should be seen as a long-term fixed investment, which produces success for the organizing countries several years before and after the Games. Keywords: Sports economics, Olympic Games, hosting Games, macroeconomic factors, success (201-229)
NUMBER 4, DECEMBER, 2022
ISBN 978-0-89641-630-7E-mail americanpress@flash.net to order PDFs of any article.
Navigating Sport Sponsorships: A New Direction Post COVID-19 — Austin C. Bogina, Yuheng Feng, Brittany N. Connor, Brian S. Gordon — The COVID-19 pandemic affected the health and economics of citizens, organizations, and the sport industry. Many implications resulted from not allowing in-person attendance, including sponsorships using traditional experiential marketing strategies. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted and altered the exchange of value in the partnership agreements sport organizations had with sponsors. The researchers used a qualitative research design and applied the exchange theory to interviews conducted with current sponsorship professionals working in both the collegiate and professional sport industry. Data analysis produced three important themes including (1) traversing through unforeseen sponsorship challenges, (2) pivoting to digital: creative and flexible adjustments, and (3) foreshadowing post-pandemic sport sponsorship practices. Key findings pertained to the challenges faced by sport teams attempting to foster positive relationships and creating a mutually beneficial environment where their sponsors can benefit from both experiential and digital offerings. Keywords: marketing, pandemic, partnership, sponsor, digital, experiential (233-255)
Firing Discrimination of Coaches in the Most ‘Inclusive’ League?: Evidence from the Women’s National Basketball Association — Lauren C. Hindman, Nefertiti A. Walker, Courtney Paulson, David Berri — Unlike North American men’s professional sport leagues, where the majority of head coaches are white men, less than a third of Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) head coaches have been white men during the league’s history. Drawing from literature on racial and gender discrimination, we examined whether the race and gender of a head coach impacted firing decisions at the conclusion of WNBA seasons. Using data from 1997-2021, results suggest that Black women, Black men, and white women are all more likely to be fired than a white man coach after controlling for on-court performance. This demonstrates that even as sport organizations decrease access discrimination in their hiring practices, firing discrimination can still persist. Keywords: Diversity, Discrimination, Coaching, Women’s Sports (256-265)
Exploring Opportunities and Challenges of Virtual SportParticipation in Cycling — Craig A. Fulk, Calvin Nite — This study sought to understand how the rise of virtual sport participation (VSP) impacts micro-level institutional practices and structures in sport by exploring the broad question: How have virtual innovations impacted the institutional structures and practices of cycling? Data were compiled from interviews with cyclists, social media, and popular cycling publications to examine how virtual cycling may be influencing certain taken-for-granted aspects of the sport. The results show that VSP may impact cyclists’ skill development, riding approaches, the sport environment, socialization practices, and accessibility. This study suggests virtual sport participation may lead to institutional shifts in how sport is practiced; how socialization occurs among sport participants; and how participation is structured. VSP may pose a challenge to institutional practices and structures within sport institutions. Virtual sport may supplement traditional sport participation and become a viable alternative to traditional sport. Keywords: Institutionalization, Virtual Sport, Institutional Theory, Cycling (266-291)
Cultural Cues in NBA Jersey Designs: Examining the Role of Acculturation and Psychological Connection in Consumer Purchase Decisions — Daigo Yazawa, Nikolas R. Webster, James Du, Jeffrey D. James — The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of cultural cues on consumers’ purchase decision of a sport merchandise product. Using a randomized experiment, two types of NBA team jersey, with or without cultural cues, were presented and participants answered questions regarding their attitude toward each variation. Their levels of acculturation to the United States and psychological connection with a sport team were measured to investigate whether these constructs impact the purchase decision-making process of culturally cued jersey. It was found that acculturated individuals selected the culturally cued jersey at a higher rate compared to unacculturated consumers. A significant interaction effect between attitude toward the English jersey and psychological connection suggests that those who have a strong psychological connection tend to select the original jersey. The results of this study examining the effectiveness of cultural cues in NBA merchandise designs provide empirical support for cultural targeted marketing strategies. Keywords: Sport Merchandise, Target Marketing, Cultural Cues, Acculturation, Psychological Connection (292-316)
Manuscript Guidelines for Authors (317-319)