sport management Archives - Knowledge People Performance

New Book Chapter: COVID-19 and the Bundesliga – A Study of Digital Fan Engagement Strategies

In late 2022, a Research Handbook on Sport and Covid-19 was published by Paul Pedersen, Professor of Sport Management at Indiana University (USA). About a year earlier he consulted the international sport management community about studies focusing on the impact of Covid-19 on sport organizations. We had just finished one on digital fan engagement strategies in the German Bundesliga. A book chapter with Laura Matz, a graduate from Munich Business School, now at Brands and Emotions, an agency, and Gashaw Abeza, Associate Professor at Towson University (USA) as well as a Research Fellow at Munich Business School, made it into the Research Handbook. Please find the abstract and the links to the full version of the chapter below.

Abstract: This chapter examines how the German Bundesliga clubs have responded to the COVID-19 challenges in terms of engaging fans digitally. Expert interviews were conducted with 13 representatives from three stakeholder groups of the league: club senior managers, consulting managers, and fan representatives. Findings outline six digital engagement principles learned from the clubs’ response to the challenges. These include fan centricity at the core, creating a 360-degree view of the fan, turning physical into virtual encounters, the rise and adaptation of social media use, converting tactic into strategic solutions, and the need for flexible and innovative environment. Theoretical and practical implications as well as suggestions for future research are provided.

Conference Panel: Social Media as an Agent of Change in Sport

This week, the Annual Conference of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) is taking place in Atlanta, GA. Gashaw Abeza and Norm O’Reilly have invited several authors of a recent book on Social Media in Sport to come together for a panel discussion. In the video statement below, just like in the book, I focus on the role of communities and community management in sport. In addition, you will also find the videos by Rebecca Achen (University of the Pacific), who speaks and writes about revenue generation and return on invest (ROI) on social media, as well as Evan Frederick (University of Louisville), whose panel contribution and chapter are about crisis communication on social media. The videos give you an idea of what is covered in the book – and of the discussions happening at the conference.

New Journal Paper: Reaping the digital dividend? Sport marketing’s move into esports

The European Journal of International Management published a special issue on international sport management earlier this year. The special issue was put together by Vanessa Ratten, an Associate Professor at La Trobe University, and a prolific researcher on sport management, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, among other things. A joint paper on esports with Kilian Kramer (now at ESL Gaming) and Barbara Scheck (Munich Business School) made it into the special issue.