This study examined the seasonal sustainability reporting of Formula E for its content, variation, and linearity. Formula E was chosen since it was built as a sustainable sport enterprise rather than one which integrated sustainability into existing operations and for the accessibility of its annual sustainability reports. Using an exploratory approach for content and variation, and the Green Waves of sport sustainability for linearity, eight seasons of sustainability reports from Formula E were collected and examined via content analysis. Findings revealed the major content areas for Formula E concerned event management, car design, and community engagement with these initiatives classified as internal or external efforts. Reports were inconsistent in their structure, language, scope, and focus. The Green Waves suggest that while some efforts progress, others may regress according to strategy or the initiative's life cycle. Formula E is progressing overall in their sustainability efforts, but exemplifies the lack of an end point to sustainability efforts. It is suggested that better coordination could yield higher strategic success and recognition.

Scholars forecast that globalization will require sport managers to have competencies in international business. Sport, due to its global nature, has become an international business, leading to sport management programs at postsecondary institutions growing in number and the marketing of such programs becoming a key success factor. In an increasingly competitive educational environment, both effective curriculum offerings and innovative marketing, including branding, are important for a successful sport management program. This article shares a case study of innovative marketing—the co-branding through a double degree program between two long-standing sport management programs, one in North America (Ohio University, United States) and one in Europe (University of Bayreuth, Germany). This program is designed to enhance international education, as well as global internship and job-placement opportunities. The details of the double degree program within the background of co-branding are presented as a pedagogical framework for international education. Data from a survey of industry professionals are analyzed to demonstrate the need for such an international double degree program. Results provide a template for replication by other institutions and identify potential future research.

The United Nations has asserted that sport organizations and/or allied sponsors can influence fans to engage in more sustainable behaviours intentions at sporting events and at home; however, more investigation is necessary to assess this assumption. The purpose of this study was to examine values and norms related to the natural environment and perceptions of fan engagement sustainability initiatives that influence sustainable at-home behaviours. Season ticket holders (N=267) of a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's collegiate basketball programme completed a preseason survey assessing values, norms, and perception of environmental efforts; at the conclusion of the season, recall and influence of three environmental initiatives (recycling, water conservation, and composting) featured at each game over the season were assessed. Results indicate that sport-event norms were a significant predictor of lower perception of recycling inconvenience, higher perception of recycling benefits, and positive influence of athletic department sustainability efforts while values and personal norms were non-significant predictors.Values and personal norms were not significantly related to sponsored initiative awareness, sponsor recall, and perceptions of influence related to at-home behaviour change. Sport-event norms significantly predicted influence towards at-home composting. Future research should longitudinally examine the influence of environmentally sustainability focused fan engagement initiatives on sustainable behavioural change at events and at-home. (C) 2019 Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

This study examined the strategic and administrative elements of an online sport management graduate program through the lens of Community of Inquiry (CoI) (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 1999). The authors evaluated quantitative and qualitative information from student exit surveys from an online professional graduate degree in sport management using modified CoI principles in order to improve the program's content, structure, and delivery. The quantitative results indicated that students rated the program highly in almost all measured aspects of CoI. The qualitative data revealed that students engage in the three main areas of CoI (i.e., cognitive, social, and teaching presence). Qualitative data support the quantitative results and demonstrate the program operates on CoI principles. Findings inform academic leaders and faculty about CoI elements and the nature of holistic assessment of academic programs.

Purpose - Sponsorship sales in professional sport is an area of increasing attention and growing investment, but the sport management literature offers only limited research about sales strategies and tactics. As a result, practitioners and academics alike have called for investigation in the area. In response to this need, the purpose of this paper is to empirically explore sponsorship sales in professional sport. Design/methodology/approach - Sponsorship sales professionals working for sport properties in the four major North American sport leagues were surveyed on a variety of sponsorship sales-related variables and factors. Findings - A total of 92 sponsorship sales professionals responded to the study, for an estimated 15.3 percent response rate. At the time of the data collection, the 92 respondents worked in the National Football League (NFL) (37), Major League Baseball (MLB) (16), National Basketball Association (NBA) (18), and National Hockey League (NHL) (21). A series of practical, conceptual, and comparative results are presented, highlighted by turnover as a problem, the importance of activation/servicing in sponsorship sales, and the high level of investment clubs are making in sponsorship sales. Research limitations/implications - First, on "coverage," the authors acknowledge that variations in the data can be linked, to a large extent, to reporting issues due to the nature of the study, the data, and the sample. Variations in sponsor number or training, for example, are not necessarily indicative of weaknesses in the industry, but occur because of strategic differences among properties. Second, it is important to note that not all properties had personnel respond to the study. Consequently, the figures presented in this study might be a function of the individual personnel who responded rather than a true average figure for a particular league. Third, in terms of the sample, this study deals with a very specific context in the four North American major sport leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL). Thus, one should be careful in generalizing to minor professional, collegiate, Olympic, or other sport contexts. Practical implications - The finding of this paper states that the turnover of sponsors may be a structural issue and is certainly related to the demand for the particular property (Seaver Marketing Group, 2010). Driven by a number of factors, including technology shifts to digital channels and increased sophistication by the sponsorship sales departments of professional sport properties, a shift in the activation and service paradigm is reported and extended to the specific context of sponsorship sales. Social implications - Results show that sport properties in the North American major sport leagues have a strong commitment to sponsorship sales by the organization (commitment of resources), by sport personnel (who support the business side), and by their sponsorship sales professionals who report satisfaction, motivation, and support from their property. Originality/value - To the authors' knowledge, this is the first empirical research study specific on sponsorship sales in professional sport, thus providing direction for practice and future research on an issue of high importance to the sport industry.

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which environmentally themed activities within an intercollegiate sport context impact fan engagement. A total of 557 fans responded to an online survey measuring fan connection to the athletic department, environmental values, expectations for environmental activities, event and at home environmental behaviors, perceptions of profile enhancement, and recall of environmental sponsors and major initiatives. Results found that fans expected athletic department environmental action and they help with favorable perceptions about the athletic program and university and influenced at event and home behaviors. Cluster analysis identified two clusters based on high pro-environmental and low pro-environmental perceptions. The high pro-environmental cluster was skewed female, had lower connection to the athletic program, and had higher recall of official environmental sponsors and athletic initiatives. The results provide a fundamental and foundational understanding of how environmental activities impact fan engagement and the value of such efforts.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework surrounding the typology of environmental sustainability efforts made within the sport industry. We draw from multiple theoretical frameworks (i.e. institutional theory and diffusion of innovation) to understand the increased similarities of environmental sustainability efforts through organizational learning as environmental sustainability efforts become more purposeful and sophisticated across the sport industry. The paper uses examples from various sport organizations and leagues to classify the efforts of sport organizations into waves of sport environmental sustainability efforts and important implications arising from them.

Across the world, organizational personnel in various industries are integrating natural environment issues into existing organizational practices. In the intercollegiate sports world, environmental efforts are undertaken as part of a strategic effort involving collaborative processes across university units. The purpose of this study is to develop a more comprehensive and detailed understanding of collaborative processes and practices between personnel in athletics departments and sustainability offices at universities and colleges in the United States. In-depth interviews were conducted with athletics and sustainability department personnel at colleges and universities in the United States. A total of 13 schools were included in the study with 17 participants agreeing to be interviewed. All interviewees were from the middle management level and higher in their respective organizations. Five central themes related to these relationships were found: relationship development, relationship communication, relationship decision-making development, collaborative efforts, and relationship challenges. The themes raise important issues about the diversity of relationships, the communicative and decision-making processes, and the involvement of stakeholders in environmental efforts as well as future research in this area.

This paper explores the world of sport marketing in relation to changing contextual factors taking place necessitating a shift in marketing strategy and practice. Using a systemic and structuration oriented perspective, it examines the emerging concepts of the post-television world, a post-brand paradigm, and the concept of total marketing. The discussion will focus on key drivers of change in an emerging post-television world: digital technologies, lifestyles, youth culture, individuals-within-communities, wiki-worlds, and consumer backlash. Implications for sport marketers and potential future research emerging from important strategic challenges (brand changes, the important element of content, and metrics for success) are provided as a way to understand how past principles can and are used in such a context.

Maurice Clarett occupied the rarified air of sport stardom for a brief time. His ascent to glory was followed by an ignominious descent into trouble and scandal. This study examines Clarett's blog, The Mind of Maurice Clarett, which was written while he was in prison, to understand how it is used in an image repair strategy. The results of this study show that Clarett's image repair strategy focused on two main elements: reducing the offensiveness and corrective actions. This examination of Clarett's blog reveals three important issues related to image repair by athletes. The first is how this context provides further support for Benoit's framework within the world of sport. Second, it highlights the presence of the dialogic self in image repair strategies. Finally, the computer-mediated communication (CMC) platform of a blog provides an argument that an individual's image repair strategy can be conceived, altered and ended over time providing platform for a more holistic understanding of CMC image repair strategies and their contexts in general.

Problem statement: The sport industry recognized the impact it has on the natural environment and developed strategies to address relevant issues. This concern triggered two environmental initiatives: reducing the ecological footprint and using sports as a means to raise environmental awareness. Purpose of study: This presentation provides an overview of the scholarly work on environmental sustainability in sport. We present examples of environmental programs adopted by sport organizations around the world and discuss the current state of environmental efforts. Methods: Semi-structured interviews, website analysis, and published documents were used in the analysis. Data were analyzed through qualitative methods to identify themes representing the current status of environmental efforts in sport. Finding and results: Sport organizations are proactively addressing the negative environmental impact of their operations producing outcomes including increasing organizational legitimacy, averting legal recourse, saving money, and building stronger relationships with key stakeholders. Results also illustrate the challenges associated with the successful adoption of environmental programs such as communication issues and available organizational resources. Conclusions and recommendations The trend is for sport organizations to expand and implement current environmental initiatives. The current focus on the environment in sport is expected to continue due to social values and expectations of stakeholders, government intervention, and mandatory requirements for certain certifications (e.g., LEED). Sport organizations need to develop partnerships with industry experts and within sport leagues to continue their efforts. As environmental awareness grows, sustainable sports offer a platform from which to address these issues and contribute to a sustainable future. Keywords: environment, sport industry, sustainability.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the interactive effect of turnover and task interdependence on performance in work teams. Based on pervious research, the authors contend that turnover will have a negative effect on team performance and this effect will be more pronounced as teams perform highly interdependent tasks. Design/methodology/approach – Using longitudinal data from the National Football League (NFL), the authors empirically examine the effect of player turnover on NFL team performance (i.e. wins and losses in the subsequent year), and the difference in team performance based on the high/low task interdependence of the work team. Findings – Findings suggest a negative impact of turnover on organizational performance, regardless of the interdependent nature of work team tasks. In addition, the negative influence of turnover is enhanced by the task interdependence within a team. Originality/value – This is one of the few studies that examine task interdependence as a moderating variable of the turnover – team performance relationship. More specifically, by examining an industry with high team member turnover (i.e. The NFL), the findings from this study give practicing managers a guide as to which work teams managers should attempt to minimize turnover.

The purpose of this study was to examine how environmental education efforts at a sporting event related to environmental behavioral intentions, in the context of a promotional green game, based on value-belief-norm (VBN) theory. A total of 2,700 respondents, who attended an intercollegiate Division I football game with an environmental sustainability promotional theme, completed an online survey. Structural equation modeling was applied to examine the linkages between values, beliefs, norms, and behavioral intentions. The results found that a majority of fans recognized or participated in green game game-day activities and fans expected athletic departments to incorporate environmental sustainability actions and education in athletic events. Tests of the VBN model found respondents’ values, beliefs, and norms significantly predicted pro-environmental behavioral intentions at the sport event and everyday life. This was the first study to examine environmental education related to fan behavior in a sporting context. The findings provide evidence that through environmental education, sport organizations may impact fan environmental behavior intentions, further emphasizing the importance of environmental educational actions by sport organizations.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the interactive effect of turnover and task interdependence on performance in high performance strategic work teams. Based on pervious research, we contend that turnover will have a negative effect on team performance and this effect will be more pronounced as teams perform highly interdependent tasks. Given the integral role human resources play in the success or failure of a professional sports franchise, this setting provides an ideal opportunity for examining various human resource issues. Using longitudinal data from the National Football League (NFL), we empirically test 1) the effect of player turnover on NFL team performance (i.e., wins and losses in the subsequent year), and 2) the difference in team performance as based on the high/low task interdependence of the team. Findings suggest a negative impact of turnover on organizational performance, regardless of the interdependent nature of high performance strategic work team tasks. In addition, the negative influence of turnover is enhanced by the task interdependence within a team.