The Sports Management Toolkit

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss how the relationship between sport and business has increased the complexity of ethical issues affecting contemporary sport management. Specifically, this paper seeks to define conflict of interest and how it is manifested in both business and sport.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides a conceptual discussion of the issue of conflict of interest as it relates to the management and governance of sports organizations. Relationships between business ethics, governance and sport management are examined in the quest to understand conflict of interest and its prevalence in and relevance to sport management.FindingsConflicts of interest within the sport industry may have the same structural elements as those occurring in mainstream business, such as benefits, obligations and issues of trust, but it is the higher societal expectations and values placed on sport and sporting organizations that provide the key points of difference.Practical implicationsThrough collaboration with sport management practitioners, via inductive in‐depth research, a clearer definition of conflict of interest and the range of situations in which it may occur can be developed. It is through a continued research effort in this area that sport managers will be better able to both identify and manage conflicts of interest as they occur.Originality/valueIt is the lack of definitive examples or guidelines for recognition of an actual or a potential conflict of interest that appears to cause the greatest confusion within sport management. By drawing together the key concepts found within the extant literature, a clearer understanding of what constitutes a conflict of interest is provided by this paper.

Collaboration between industry and academia is a subject of great interest to sport management academics and sport industry leaders in the United States. However, there is a lack of research regarding barriers to sport industry–academia collaborations and bridging the gap between sport management research and practitioners. The aim of the study was to explore trends in collaboration barriers among various research involvement levels of U.S. sport firms with sport management academia. Data were gathered from 303 sport managers working for U.S. sport companies. Results indicated several barriers for research collaborations between the U.S. sport industry and academia. Such barriers include transactional barriers, sport industry subsectors, sport organizations’ location, and age and education level of respondents.

Research question This paper questions why, despite capitalism’s intimate connections with sport, it is rarely named, let alone explicitly discussed in sport management. It questions whether capitalism should remain as the invisible, ghostly backdrop wherein sport management is located and conceptualized. Research methods This paper is primarily a position and conceptual paper, though it is foregrounded with a search of the term ‘capitalism’ within leading sport management academic journals, conference abstracts, and textbooks. It also provides a synopsis of capitalism (as a global system of power) and suggests that capitalism has a ghostly presence in contemporary sport management scholarship. Results and findings This paper advocates for an expansive understanding of ‘sport management’ as the organizing processes of sport activities, as opposed to the ‘managing’ modalities with capitalist values. Naming capitalism is a necessary first step for sport management research to become more accountable to social justice and emancipation. Implications Naming capitalism makes it analyzable. It opens up intellectual space to support multi-racial, multi-gender working-class and anti-colonial struggles within and beyond the sport industry, furthering existing analyses on racism, sexism, heteronormativity, ableism, etc. with a renewed focus on contradictions under capitalism. Moreover, it opens up possibilities to theorize non-capitalist forms of organizing sport that challenge the default logics of the sport ‘industry’.

Much of the sport and leisure management literature on gender has assumed that increasing numbers of women in sport organisations will magically cure organisations of gender-related discrimination (Hoeber 2004). This is a limited approach, for three main reasons. First, as a consequence of this dominant focus on women, gender-related issues are perceived in sport organisations to be a minority, or women’s, concern, thus relegating gender relations to a women-only issue (Shaw and Hoeber 2003; Staurowsky 1996). Second, a focus on women limits our understanding of gender, as men can also face discrimination based on gendered assumptions (Ely and Meyerson 2000a). Finally, the increasing numbers of women in organisations represents a focus on outcome-based research, which encourages increased numbers of women but has little impact on changing the aspects of sport organisations that have made them inhospitable to women. For example, the second International Conference on Women and Sport in 2000 passed a resolution that urged ‘sports organisations … meet the goal of 10 minimum representation of women in decision-making positions by 31 December 2000 … and ensure that the 20 goal [of representation] for 2005 is maintained and attained’ (International Olympic Committee 2000). Despite the powerful and positive tone of this statement, and its sanction by the International Olympic Committee, little has changed within sport organisations over this period. Indeed, within the IOC itself, only 6 per cent of the overall membership and one out of ten Board members are female in 2005 (International Olympic Committee 2005).

Today's sport and leisure management students and employees need to understand the financial side of the industry to offer the most cost-effective solutions to complex problems and an increasingly volatile market. Consequently, this chapter introduces the key financial principles and procedures that are used to plan, make effective decisions, and control a sport and leisure organisation. It acknowledges that sport and leisure organisations are often not financially driven or even based in the private sector. However, the importance of financial management transcends boundaries and places responsibility to operate within mandatory requirements and good practice on all organisations. Finally, within the chapter, a framework is provided to appraise the financial health of an organisation to assess and guide its future financial viability.

ABSTRACTSport management as a field of study is necessarily context-bound but this has often meant that our research is seen as sector-specific and hence lacking the generality to merit publication in top academic journals. Yet our recognition of the importance of context means that sport management is well placed to provide research with real-world impact. And as national research evaluation programmes put greater emphasis on user-value in academic research, sport management has an opportunity to grow in stature both within academia as well as externally in the sports industry. Drawing on alternative policy models of research, particularly Stokes's concept of Pasteur's Quadrant, I propose a taxonomy of sport management research illustrated by specific examples. I argue that sport management needs to be more active in promoting evidence-based practice in sports organisations. I conclude with concrete proposals to improve the rigour and relevance of sport management research.

Women in Leadership in Sport and Work Life Balance. Using data from 50 females managers, and female player from different sports. The research focuses on women in leadership in sport and how they manage their work-life balance, which is an increasingly relevant issue in today's sports industry. With increasing numbers of women attaining management positions, it is more important than ever to understand how female leaders balance their work with their home life. In order to accomplish this purpose a mixed method design was used that employs both quantitative survey data and qualitative interview data to give a holistic view of women in several different leadership roles within the sports organization . The employ a quantitative approach using structured questionaries and statistic analysis including correlation and regression. the finding indicates the managerial role alone does not significantly predict women’s work life balance. Moreover, the outcomes derived from this research are extremely important for sports governing bodies and those involved in creating sport-related policies because they highlight the need for targeted interventions that help promote work/life balance for women leaders in those organizations. This research contributes to the body of literature on gender and management in sports but, more importantly, calls stakeholders to action by focusing on work-life balance as a fundamental aspect of organizational success.

The desire of any organization is to have the entire staff working from the same playbook toward a common goal (i.e., “the championship”). Given individuals’ varying attitudes, beliefs, skills, and motivations, it’s a goal not easily achieved. Organizational Behavior in Sport Management, Second Edition, examines the individual, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and organizational processes fundamental to working within sport organizations, placing equal emphasis on what managers need to understand about human behavior and what each employee brings to the workplace. This updated second edition blends classical research in the field of organizational behavior with the latest knowledge and best practices in the field of sport management. Organized into four major parts—“the championship”). Given individuals’ varying attitudes, beliefs, skills, and motivations, it’s a goal not easily achieved. Organizational Behavior in Sport Organizations, Managing the Individual, Managing the Group, and Managing the Organization—the text provides a foundational and contemporary examination of the inner workings of sport organizations. It offers a deep study of how all who work in sport organizations—whether they are administrators, executives, employees, players, coaches, or volunteers—operate independently, and it explores how these individuals interact with each other in the work setting. Highlighted throughout the text are recent examples of how COVID-19; social movements; remote work; and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives have changed the nature of work and moved organizations to place greater emphasis on employees’ individual needs, desires, interests, empowerment, and satisfaction in their roles. In addition, numerous real-life examples from sport organizations in the United States and throughout the world provide practical application and underscore key concepts. Each chapter features In the Boardroom sidebars, discussion questions, and a case study designed to help illustrate particular topics and facilitate focused discussion in class. The case studies are also included in the instructor guide for ease of assigning to students. New to this edition, a test package, chapter quizzes, and presentation package will aid in classroom preparation. Organizational Behavior in Sport Management answers the key questions of why people do what they do at work, why others behave as they do, and how a person’s interpretation of events and behaviors is subject to their own biases. Students will gain an understanding of the most important organizational behavior concepts and a glimpse of how they might see themselves functioning in a sport organization today.

This paper addresses the under-explored culture–sport management nexus and answers the question “why does it matter?”. After reviewing the current culture debates, seven main aspects of culture and related underlying processes, which provide both the focus of and the milieu within which sport management operates, are identified, including (i) normative, (ii) innovative, (iii) nomos, (iv) singular and plural, (v) dialectic of system and practice, (vi) determined by production and (vii) political. The implications of these aspects for studying sport management are then examined, and research and practical recommendations are put forward. It is argued that by focusing on culture the field of study of sport management changes. The researcher is no longer interested only in what makes people participate in sport, watch a game or how organizational structures are designed; rather, s/he is seeking to understand the underlying cultural processes that drive and facilitate people's and organizations' behaviours in sport. Sport management is interpreted both as a representation of the symbolic cultural system within which it operates and as a means of actively shaping this system. Sport managers are seen as mediators of meaning; sport organizations as institutions for socialization, acculturation and control. A call is issued for scholars working in this field to promote greater cultural sensitivity.

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of sports stars on the behavioral characteristics of fans. Methodology: This research utilized a mixed-method approach (qualitative-quantitative) conducted in two phases. In the qualitative phase, data were collected through in-depth interviews with experts and active sports fans on social media platforms. In the quantitative phase, a researcher-designed questionnaire was distributed among 186 fans and sports managers using purposive sampling. Data analysis was performed using SPSS and Smart PLS software. Findings: The findings revealed that sports stars have a significant impact on all aspects of fan behavior. The influence of sports stars on citizenship behavior (path coefficient 0.992), emotional behavior (path coefficient 0.909), consumptive behavior (path coefficient 0.446), and normative behavior (path coefficient 0.503) was positive and significant, while their effect on deviant behavior was negative and significant (path coefficient -0.592). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that sports stars significantly influence fans' behaviors, acting as social role models to enhance positive and responsible behaviors while reducing deviant actions. These findings recommend that sports organizations and managers leverage the influence of sports stars to improve fan engagement and foster loyalty.

Growing and diversifying public interest in sport demands greater professional competencies in sport managers in clubs and National Federations. In 1995- 6 this study sought to identify activities undertaken and competencies needed by such paid managers, through mailed questionnaires (response n=199, 30% from clubs, 70% from Federations). Factor analysis identified five groups of activities and seven groups of competencies. The activities of sport managers comprised strong communicative and social aspects. This must be considered more strongly than hitherto by including corresponding interdisciplinary management aspects in training and education courses. The interviewees particularly emphasized the importance of interpersonal communication--as indicated by several of Mintzberg's managerial roles--as well as competencies like public relations, advertising and techniques of personal management. Nevertheless the core of training should comprise aspects of business administration. The interviewees particularly emphasized the management functions and areas of financing, budgeting, sponsorship and event management. Sport management is becoming differentiated from coaching and teaching. Sport managers had to know their respective sports and be part of the culture, but physical education and sport science skills were generally not needed. On the one hand, the evaluation of many competencies showed clear differences from job to job, but on the other hand the significant regression coefficients between different types of activity sets and different competency sets indicated that a broad qualification is needed, regardless of the type of job.

Sports organizations, to be profitable and competitive, become structures that demand the integration of competent personnel with certain characteristics and specific attributes determined by the job profile. This position rests on the purpose of productivity through good performance to fulfill the mission, vision, policies, goals, or objectives of the organization. Preceding from the above, there is diversification regarding the competencies, attributes, elements, and operational components that a sports manager must adopt to practice their profession successfully. In this sense, the aim of this study is to determine the elements and ideal holistic components that integrate the competencies and job profiles of the sports manager in the professional context. The research methodology uses nine variables in three dimensions: one related to six levels of mastery in sports management, another that refers to competencies, and one more that focuses on the job profile, resulting in 15 specific traits that a sports manager must develop to be professionally competent.

Much like the social phenomenon which it seeks to explain, institutional theory has become an institutional and dominant theoretical research traditional within sport management. In the context of sport, institutional theory can be used to examine the complex relationship between sport organisations and their broader environment. Specifically, it explains how sport organisations are influenced by and in turn influence, broader social, political and economic forces, as well as how these institutional forces shape the behaviour and practices of athletes, coaches and fans. The five original contributions contained within this special issue seek to advance institutional scholarship and bridge the growing theoretical divide between sport management and management. Taken together, the papers in this special issue represent the potential for not only further illumination of how institutional theory can advance sport management, but also how sport management might hold the possibility for further articulation and advancement of institutional theory. In doing so, we set out a future research agenda that calls for a return to the original motivations and concepts of institutional theory and a further appreciation of the distinctiveness of the sport context for understanding institutional arrangements.

Sports management is booming, thanks to society’s growing interest in sports in general. This work provides an exhaustive review of the scientific literature of one of the variables most coveted by managers: loyalty. Antecedents positively related to loyalty are also conceptualized in this paper. The scientific literature search was limited to the last 15years to achieve a better fit with today’s context. The Web of Science database was the main search method used, along with other, secondary resources, for a total of 328 scientific articles obtained as a base for this review. The results of this study bring together the most representative data in a systematic review of the loyalty variable in the field of sports management: the antecedents of loyalty, the terms with the greatest presence in the theory, the most representative authors and sources of this topic, and so on. One of the most significant results obtained from the review of these 300 bibliographical references is that the factors to be borne in mind for marketing strategies in sports organizations are satisfaction, commitment, trust, and service quality. The literature reflects that these variables, present in studies on loyalty in general, can also be found in the literature on sports management – in particular, satisfaction and service quality. However, few papers include all these antecedents at once, making this an interesting field for future research.

Abstract: The Internet of Things (IoT) faces a variety of challenges and issues in administering security due to its heterogeneous nature and open communication medium. The fundamental security requirement of authentication is expected to secure the communication between the devices from anonymous access. In this article, we present a distributed time-dependent key management (DTKM) technique for securing the communication sessions of the IoT devices. This key management technique considers the communication time and interval of the devices independently to generate session keys for authentication. Key management is preceded by the consideration of request authentication and resource utilization. Based on the communication time session, the validity of the keys is determined and is updated with the current random number consideration for authentication. This helps to prevent unnecessary exploitation of storage and also reduces computation time.