Sport organizations face pressures of survival and sustainability and need to innovate to respond to changing expectations. Recently, innovations focused on social impact have attracted attention in sport management. We conceptualize how social impact occurs in sport. More specifically, we synthesize current literature on organizational capacity for social innovation and institutional theory research on logic compatibility to derive four analytically distinct, ideal-type organizations that sport employees aspiring to implement a new social innovation may find themselves within. Social intrapreneurship is repositioned as a situated practice shaped by organizational capacity (structural support) and meaning systems (logic compatibility) rather than a function of a sport employee’s desire to make a difference. Our ideal-type typology provides a common language for scholars to draw upon across sport contexts, along with a set of propositions enabling theory building grounded in a foundation around social innovation being dependent on both alignment and material support within existing organizations.
Top-down and bottom-up approaches to voluntary work arrangements in community sport organizations, when pursued in isolation, can lead to misalignment between organizational and personal goals, resulting in volunteer turnover. Although idiosyncratic deals allow leaders to adjust work characteristics through top-down negotiations, this approach overlooks individual creativity in voluntary work. Thus, a gap remains in understanding how personal and organizational goals can be aligned through bottom-up job-crafting behaviors undertaken collaboratively with organizational leaders. To address this gap, the present study employed a four-phase action research design to develop and examine a job co-crafting process that enables organizational representatives and volunteers to adjust job-crafting behaviors in alignment with organizational objectives collaboratively. The findings revealed that job co-crafting entails the collective generation of unfiltered ideas, supportive elaboration of those ideas, and establishment of mutually focused goals. This study extends job design theory by introducing the job co-crafting process that enhances volunteer engagement within community sport organizations.
Sport management scholars have started to examine the experiences of athletics administrators tasked with promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives (i.e., diversity, equity, and inclusion [DEI] strategists). However, a gap in the literature exists when it comes to understanding how employees in intercollegiate athletics departments transition into DEI-specific roles. Operating within an interpretive-constructivist approach and utilizing a longitudinal qualitative methodology, this study examines the lived experience of a DEI strategist in their first year at a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletics department. Findings highlight the participant’s (a) familiarization with the organizational setting, (b) development of a strategic mindset, (c) shift from short- to long-term impact, (d) navigation of intense emotional lows, and (e) increased confidence in the capacity to advance DEI across the department. We discuss managerial implications to help ease DEI strategists’ transition into these newly emerging occupational roles, in hopes of further elevating their efforts for meaningful systemic change. Content Warning : This manuscript contains discussion of suicidal ideation and mental health concerns. Readers are encouraged to engage with this material in a way that supports their well-being.
This study addresses a significant gap in sport management literature by exploring the role of psychological safety among Generation Z and Millennial employees in intergenerational sport workplaces. Drawing on generational cohort theory, the study examines how distinct generational characteristics shape perceptions of psychological safety. Semistructured interviews ( n = 17) with administrative staff from Division I athletic departments revealed differences in how psychological safety is perceived, valued, and enacted. Younger cohorts view psychological safety as an inherent expectation, shaped by formative social and cultural experiences including the normalization of mental health disclosure, whereas older generations approach it more strategically, influenced by their professional histories and contextual evaluations. Counter to common assumptions, Generation Z emphasized the importance of in-person interaction for fostering authenticity and openness. By integrating generational cohort theory with psychological safety, this study advances theoretical understanding of intergenerational workplace dynamics and offers practical insights for sport administrators seeking to cultivate inclusive, supportive, and high-performing environments in an evolving sport industry.
Gender diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) remain an important aspect of organizational behavior in sport governing bodies (SGBs). The study’s purpose is to investigate gender DEI policy and human resource management gender DEI practices and the role of institutional pressures in explaining their presence or absence. Based on a mixed-methods design, data were collected via quantitative questionnaires, followed by qualitative interviews with leaders of Canadian and German SGBs. The results suggest that Canadian SGBs focus on the symbolism of having a gender DEI policy as a response to institutional pressures. German SGBs only perceive normative pressure but do not feel responsible for gender DEI. The study contributes to the literature by including all three institutional pressures and offering insights into why a focus on gender diversity in policies is not coupled with gender equity and inclusion in human resource management practices.
Strategic partnerships between professional sport teams and health care organizations are increasingly prevalent across major U.S. leagues yet remain underexamined in sport management research. These collaborations extend beyond traditional sponsorships to form exclusive, multifaceted, and long-term alliances with the potential to generate shared value by advancing organizational and public health goals. Using a qualitative content-analytic approach and data from press releases, media articles, and interviews, this study asks: How do professional teams structure and leverage partnerships with health care organizations to create mutual strategic and social value? Our findings reveal three interrelated mechanisms: (a) facility-based alignment of athlete and community health, (b) cobranding health awareness to extend collective value, and (c) cultivating future health through youth and community development. Collectively, these mechanisms demonstrate how professional sport–health care partnerships are moving beyond symbolic collaboration toward deeper strategic alignment and shared value creation.
Sport-specific human capital is crucial for organizational performance in sport. However, human capital theory posits that athletes’ general training in other sports is also valuable. We examine whether participation in high school track, a generalist sport that emphasizes transferable athletic skills and foundational physical development, rather than narrow specialization, improves professional baseball performance and whether organizations value such training. Hypothesis testing using a 74-year panel of baseball players linked to nearly 100,000 questionnaires shows that track participation improves long-term performance. However, nonfocal specialist sports (i.e., unrelated, coordination-intensive sports) do not. Moreover, additional quantitative and qualitative evidence found no indication that athletes with track backgrounds receive draft or bonus advantages, despite their potential performance benefits. We address endogeneity concerns using coarsened exact matching. Our study also clarifies the mechanisms through which track improves performance.
We contribute to the labor market discrimination literature by examining race and social capital in executive hiring within the National Football League. Results suggest that bridging social capital facilitates more interview opportunities for head coach candidates in a season following a prior season in which they had an interview. Black coaches also secure more interviews and head coaching jobs following stints as coordinators of teams with underrepresented head coaches, further demonstrating the role of social capital between and within social networks. Furthermore, former coordinators and assistant head coaches of teams with underrepresented head coaches outperformed head coaches who were previously coordinators or assistant head coaches of teams with White head coaches, highlighting the role that underrepresented head coaches play in the professional development of their subordinates. However, Black head coaches with more prior experience as coordinators and assistant head coaches of teams led by White head coaches were more successful as head coaches.
This manuscript centers on the relationships between goal intentions and attainment with the fluctuations in social cognitive and self-regulation variables over the course of a marathon training season. Using a longitudinal design, we tested regression models grounded in Gollwitzer’s four-phase goal attainment framework. A total of 132 participants from organized running clubs completed surveys measuring autonomous motivation, self-efficacy, implementation intentions, goal-directed effort and behavior, and goal attainment. Regression analyses revealed autonomous motivation significantly predicted implementation intentions, while self-efficacy did not. Implementation intentions strongly predicted goal-directed behavior but were marginally related to effort. Goal-directed effort, but not behavior, was a significantly predicted goal attainment. These findings suggest sustained effort may be more influential than behavioral frequency in achieving long-term sport goals. The results further our understanding of goal attainment and add to the literature and practice.
Online sports betting is rapidly expanding on U.S. college campuses, yet little evidence exists to guide higher education leaders, regulators, and industry partners in managing related risks. This study segmented college student sports bettors, so that prevention and intervention efforts can be tailored to their specific motivations and behaviors for engaging with online sports betting platforms. Data from 482 college students were analyzed using Uses and Gratifications (U&G) theory for segmentation and Self-Determination Theory for interpretation. Four clusters emerged: Highly Motivated Generalists, Social Seekers, Boredom Relief Bettors, and Low Engagement Bettors. While groups differed in behaviors, demographics did not predict cluster membership. Findings show that betting motivations are shaped by both psychological needs and technological affordances, highlighting the need for tailored approaches. This study provides actionable insights for colleges, regulators, and operators to design targeted education, prevention campaigns, and responsible marketing strategies that balance consumer engagement with harm reduction.
The change of an individual serving as team leader is a frequent and disruptive event in organizations. Such changes might influence the behavior of both the newly appointed leader and the team. In soccer, there is a common expectation that a captain as a formal-transformational leader positively affects sporting performance. Despite this wide belief, there is limited empirical evidence. We investigate the effects of exogeneous changes of a captain on the individual and the team’s effort and performance as well as outside observers’ evaluations. To test our hypotheses, we utilized individual soccer player data ( N = 766) from 2,448 Bundesliga games during eight seasons ( N = 48,263 player-game observations). We found that neither the newly appointed team captain nor the team itself showed higher objective effort or performance after the succession event. Nevertheless, experts rated the newly appointed team leader as demonstrating superior performance, indicating a potential leadership attribution bias.
Pro-environmental initiatives are increasingly common among major collegiate and professional sport organizations, but few have championed climate- and sustainability-related causes more than the Seattle Kraken. In this study, we examine how the organization developed its pro-environmental identity in an effort to establish legitimacy among internal and external stakeholders while attempting to influence industry norms around sustainability. Using legitimacy theory as a framework, we analyze empirical material from eight executives and find that the Kraken employed strategies that responded to both pragmatic stakeholder interests and moral environmental commitments. The organization reframed its “liability of newness” as an opportunity for innovation, developed a shared environmental philosophy that permeated operations, implemented substantive actions that showed genuine commitment, and employed subtle symbolic communication to reinforce environmental values. Beyond establishing local legitimacy, the Kraken expressed their vision of “resetting expectations” throughout professional sport, positioning the organization as an institutional entrepreneur seeking to catalyze field-level change.
This study explores the experiences of diasporic women participating in recreational sport clubs in the United States, focusing on Korean women’s soccer clubs. Through employing intersectionality and Community Cultural Wealth frameworks, we examine how these grassroots clubs foster cultural resources and assets for diasporic women whose intersectional identities create unique barriers and opportunities for sport participation. Ethnography was used to collect diverse types of data including interviews, observations, and field notes. The findings highlight that participation in these clubs provided a sense of belonging, and offered social support and sport spaces tailored to the needs of diasporic women, interpreted as the development of linguistic, aspirational, social, navigational, and resistant capital. We propose the merit of combining Community Cultural Wealth and intersectionality in the investigation of sport experiences and offer implications for supporting diasporic women’s sport clubs through community partnerships and resources.
