Heath McDonald, Adam J. Karg and Daniel Lock
It is not uncommon for sports fans to follow multiple sports teams across different sports and even several teams across different leagues of the same sport. Whereas this might be…
Abstract
Purpose
It is not uncommon for sports fans to follow multiple sports teams across different sports and even several teams across different leagues of the same sport. Whereas this might be considered a competitive situation, the purpose of this paper is to examine how interest in overseas football (soccer) leagues played a symbiotic role in the successful development of an Australian national soccer league.
Design/methodology/approach
Results of survey data are presented from two clubs in Australia's newly formed A‐League. Three surveys were conducted over a two year period with over 3,700 season ticket holders. Specific attention is paid to fans' previous interest and exposure to football, which is then related to attitudes and behaviour associated with the new clubs.
Findings
Interest in overseas clubs and leagues is found to be a major antecedent of interest in the Australian league. Those who follow teams in overseas leagues are more likely to be heavy consumers of the new local league than those who follow local leagues or had no prior experience. They also exhibit stronger attitudinal and behavioural loyalty, such as higher attendance and renewal rates of season tickets.
Practical implications
Recognising fan interest in multiple teams/leagues as positive involves a shift in management thinking away from a competitive to a collaborative stance. In this case, rapid adoption of new teams is encouraged by capitalising on strong interest in overseas leagues. This requires careful structuring and branding of the competition that mimicks familiar foreign leagues, while minimising unfavourable comparisons in areas like quality of play.
Originality/value
This study capitalises on the rare opportunity to examine foundation teams in a new national league. The findings highlight the importance and value of taking a “global” perspective to the marketing of sports, and of carefully leveraging the interest in other elite competitions to build interest in new leagues.
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Jeremy Nguyen, Carleigh Yeomans and Adam Karg
The purpose of this paper is to analyse a large data set of over 2.4 million Top Shot NFT transactions to determine whether there is evidence of revealed racial preferences in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse a large data set of over 2.4 million Top Shot NFT transactions to determine whether there is evidence of revealed racial preferences in the Top Shot market.
Design/methodology/approach
This study examines a data set of 2.43 million transactions from 28 July 2020 to 20 March 2021 using Ordinary Least Squares, Weighted Least Squares and Inverse Probability Weighting. Our models include indicator variables for the race of depicted players and examine estimated race coefficients for statistical significance and effect size.
Findings
Our results indicate that the National Basketball Association (NBA) Top Shot NFTs depicting Black players or Black/Mixed players trade for higher prices than those depicting White players, after controlling for other factors including on-court performance. While highly statistically significant, the effect sizes are below conventional thresholds for small effects.
Practical implications
Recent empirical studies present evidence suggesting that Black players may earn less than comparable White players. Our findings challenge implicit justifications for observed earning disparities based on consumer preference.
Originality/value
This study provides empirical analysis into revealed racial preference of consumers for sports memorabilia. It is the first to examine racial preference in NBA NFTs.
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Chelsey Sara Taylor, Michael L. Naraine, Katie Rowe, Jonathan Robertson and Adam Karg
The purpose of this study was to explore the process of change in existing professional sport organisations as they initiate a women's team.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to explore the process of change in existing professional sport organisations as they initiate a women's team.
Design/methodology/approach
Three Australian Football League clubs with licenses for professional women's teams were examined, with semi-structured interviews held with three key department managers from each club.
Findings
The findings suggest organisations adopt either a community-focused or commercially focused approach, the selection of which is a response to the interplay of institutional pressures (e.g. league demands), resource demands (e.g. human and financial) and the strategic choices of a few, key “idea champions”.
Originality/value
This study provides insight into the approach change taken by clubs as they introduce a women's team into their existing organisational structure.
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Magdalena Musiał-Karg and Izabela Kapsa
This paper aims to discuss reasons for the failure of the 2020 postal-vote election reform in Poland and examine opinions of Poles on voting methods. The main goal is to answer…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to discuss reasons for the failure of the 2020 postal-vote election reform in Poland and examine opinions of Poles on voting methods. The main goal is to answer the following research question: Which of the alternative voting methods – postal or electronic – would Poles prefer?
Design/methodology/approach
The approach is quantitative and based on the statistical analysis of voters’ attitudes toward alternative voting methods, in particular postal voting.
Findings
The main finding is that out of all voting methods available, most Poles favor electronic voting as a potential alternative to voting in person. On a general level, the conclusions from the Polish case highlight the need to establish special requirements and standards for democratic elections during emergency situations. The unsuccessful implementation of all-postal voting in Poland is an example of how changes to the law should not be made, especially when public health and democratic standards are at stake.
Practical implications
The paper presents practical implications and recommendations for state authorities and electoral administration while implementing electoral reforms, extending the list of available voting channels, and running elections – especially in extraordinary situations.
Originality/value
This paper adds to the knowledge on alternative voting channels, including their implementation during a pandemic. The Polish case is also relevant for other countries as regards safe and democratic elections during emergency situations. Policymakers are expected to benefit from the insight, as the results originate in public opinion polls and identify voting channels favored by citizens
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This chapter focusses on current debates on ‘locating metal’ and on the demand for more theoretical and methodological rigor in metal studies. As an example of the usage of a…
Abstract
This chapter focusses on current debates on ‘locating metal’ and on the demand for more theoretical and methodological rigor in metal studies. As an example of the usage of a non-English language in metal, the author examines the empirical case of the usage of Austrian German and Austrian dialects in metal music since around 1990. Herein, the author will be using the disciplinary methodologies of history and analyse the two Austrian bands Alkbottle and Varulv. According to the theory of ‘sonic knowledge’, the case study is interpreted as an example of ‘locating metal’ that occurred in the Austrian metal scene. The chapter shows that the seemingly contradictory coexistence of both deconstructive irony and essentialist nationalism is characteristic of the usage of Austrian German in metal. To conclude, the author proposes that this paradox is a result of the broad cultural history of Austrian nation building after 1945. The paradox of the usage of Austrian dialects in metal is the metal scene's attempt at coping with the frictions of Austria's twentieth century history.
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Jana Tempes, Uwe Bittlingmayer, Eva-Maria Bitzer and Ines Himmelsbach
The unexpected and rapid outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic increased the vulnerability of forcibly displaced (migrant) women, who were a social group already at risk of health…
Abstract
Purpose
The unexpected and rapid outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic increased the vulnerability of forcibly displaced (migrant) women, who were a social group already at risk of health inequities and poorer health outcomes. This study aims to examine the health literacy of forcibly displaced (migrant) women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany using a multidimensional health literacy model as a framework.
Design/methodology/approach
A grounded theory methodology was implemented including interviews with 33 forcibly displaced (migrant) women from July to September 2021. An experienced female researcher interviewed all forcibly displaced (migrant) women, and apart from one telephone interview, all interviews were conducted in person.
Findings
Following data analysis, the category, “Use of health information in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic of forcibly displaced (migrant) women”, was identified as a core category. The findings provide valuable insight into the health literacy of forcibly displaced (migrant) women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Societal and environmental determinants, personal determinants and situational determinants were identified as factors impacting health literacy. Furthermore, health literacy was distinguished as competence to make informed decisions in the health domains “health care” and “disease prevention”.
Originality/value
Although previous research often focuses on the deficits of forcibly displaced (migrants), this study highlights the resources forcibly displaced (migrant) women use to deal with health-related difficulties, especially during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Importantly, such resources were available even if the study participants did not speak the language of the immigration country.
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The purpose of this study was to gather insights from sport marketing professionals and identify key opportunities, challenges and knowledge that sport marketing educators and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to gather insights from sport marketing professionals and identify key opportunities, challenges and knowledge that sport marketing educators and researchers could utilize in developing curriculum and research agendas.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative approach was used, and data were collected through in-depth interviews with 15 sport marketing professionals. Participants were asked questions related to the knowledge, skills and experiences that they believe are important for students to have to be successful in the industry, as well as the types of research that would be most useful in their day-to-day work.
Findings
Industry professionals noted collaboration, transformation in digital marketing, data and analytics and experiential marketing as key trends facing the industry today. The findings suggest that sport marketing curriculum should focus on soft skill development such as communication, relationship building and empathy alongside hard skill development such as data analysis and storytelling. As well, findings show research areas where scholars can aid practitioners with a focus on consumer insights, technology, measuring ROI and experiential marketing.
Originality/value
With these findings, educators and scholars can better prepare students for successful careers in industry and contribute to the ongoing advancement of the scholarly field. This study serves as a starting point for further research in this area, and it is hoped that it will spark continued collaboration between academia and industry.
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One of the major developments of the post‐War years has been the rise of consumer protection ‘watchdog’ committees galore, a flood of legislation and completely changed…
Abstract
One of the major developments of the post‐War years has been the rise of consumer protection ‘watchdog’ committees galore, a flood of legislation and completely changed enforcement methods by existing local authority officers who to all and intents have become a completely new service. Voluntary agencies, national and local, based on the local High Street, have appointed themselves the watchdogs of the retail trade; legislation and central departments, the larger scene. The new service has proved of inestimable value in the changed conditions; it continues to develop. When shopping was a personal transaction, with the housewife making her purchases from the shopkeeper or his staff on the opposite side of the counter; when each was well known to the other and the relationship had usually lasted for many years, often from one generation to the next, things were very different, complaints few, unsatisfactory items instantly replaced, usually without question. This continuing state of equanimity was destroyed by the retail revolution and new methods of advertising and marketing. Now, the numbers of complaints dealt with by consumer protection and environmental health departments of local authorities are truly enormous. We have become a nation of “complainers,” although in all conscience, we have much to complain about. Complaints cover the widest possible range of products and services, of which food and drink form an integral component. The complaints to enforcement authorities include many said to be unjustified, but from the reports of legal proceedings under relevant enactments, it is obvious that the bulk of them now originate from consumer complaints. Not all complainants, however, relish the thought of the case going before the courts. Less is heard publicly of complaints to the numerous voluntary bodies. Enforcement authorities see complaints in terms of infringements of the law, although their role as honest broker, securing recompense to the aggreived customer, has become important; a few departments being able to claim that they secured reimbursements and replacements of value totalling upwards of amounts which annually run into six figures. The broker role is also that adopted by voluntary bodies but with much less success since they lack the supporting authority of legal sanction.
Christos Anagnostopoulos, Mohammed Yaqot, Dimitrios Kolyperas and Simon Chadwick
There has been a noticeable increase in review studies exploring the relationship between sport and sustainability; however, these studies significantly overlook the marketing…
Abstract
Purpose
There has been a noticeable increase in review studies exploring the relationship between sport and sustainability; however, these studies significantly overlook the marketing function, creating a critical gap in understanding how sustainable practices can be promoted within the sports industry. The purpose of this study is to build a research agenda of the sport–sustainability domain within the marketing field by using an integrated bibliometric and unsupervised machine learning approach.
Design/methodology/approach
Bibliometric analysis, along with Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) for topic modeling, enabled us to identify key trends and themes in the sport–sustainability domain. The study uses the Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases to extract a final dataset of 929 texts (titles, abstracts and keywords) from published research on sport–sustainability domain within the marketing field.
Findings
We decipher the key trends in the literature and segregate them into four broad topics – places, consumers, markets and strategies – to enhance the understanding of this field of inquiry. This study is the first in the sport–sustainability domain to use this integrated approach to review the literature, and the findings lay the groundwork for future research.
Originality/value
This study uses a combined methodology thereby offering distinct advantages over other review approaches.