Research Handbook on Sports Management and Marketing
Will be published approx. on 14. July 2026
Book
Hardback
406 pages
978-1-0353-1721-9 (ISBN)
Description
This highly-informative Research Handbook presents a comprehensive, practical guide on how academic enquiry in sport management and marketing is conducted and applied. Each chapter includes a particular method or approach to responding to a research question with a complementary illustration of how to use that method. It focuses on expanding the toolkit of sport management researchers and highlights how a set of diverse methodological approaches can generate deeper insights into the business and culture of sport.
Expert international scholars analyse both traditional approaches and innovative methods, exploring research strategies, data collection approaches and data analysis. Chapters demonstrate the how and why of each method and allow readers to either follow the full journey of research or focus on individual techniques. Example case studies include examining career compensation of National Basketball Association players, fan surveys in the National Women's Soccer League and surveying member satisfaction of a health-fitness club service. Empirical approaches to research such as the Delphi method, secondary data, athlete interviews, predictive modelling and surveys provide important practical analyses that can be applied in real-world scenarios.
This Research Handbook is an essential resource for scholars and graduate students of sports management and marketing, as well as industry researchers in business and management more broadly. Its practical insights are invaluable for researchers in sport marketing and practitioners in the sport industry, such as administrators, marketers and consultants.
Expert international scholars analyse both traditional approaches and innovative methods, exploring research strategies, data collection approaches and data analysis. Chapters demonstrate the how and why of each method and allow readers to either follow the full journey of research or focus on individual techniques. Example case studies include examining career compensation of National Basketball Association players, fan surveys in the National Women's Soccer League and surveying member satisfaction of a health-fitness club service. Empirical approaches to research such as the Delphi method, secondary data, athlete interviews, predictive modelling and surveys provide important practical analyses that can be applied in real-world scenarios.
This Research Handbook is an essential resource for scholars and graduate students of sports management and marketing, as well as industry researchers in business and management more broadly. Its practical insights are invaluable for researchers in sport marketing and practitioners in the sport industry, such as administrators, marketers and consultants.
Reviews / Votes
'Research literacy is fundamental to success in sport-whether you're a student preparing for the field or a practitioner making strategic decisions. This book provides an accessible yet rigorous guide to the methods that generate meaningful insights, bridging academic rigor with industry application in ways our field desperately needs.' -- Jeremy S. Jordan, Syracuse University, USA 'In an age of ever-increasing reliance on data-driven decision making in every field, the Research Handbook on Sports Management and Marketing edited by Norm O'Reilly and Gashaw Abeza, provides a timely and comprehensive resource for sport scholars. Bridging the gap between theory and practice, the book's pairing of social science-based research methods with illustrative case examples delivers an accessible way to engage students in developing a critical skill area that they will need to be successful working in any sector of the sport industry.' -- Ellen J. Staurowsky, Ithaca College, USA 'An essential resource for faculty, graduate students, and professionals seeking guidance on research methods and practices. The collection of chapters provides a conceptual basis for research as well as a practical guide for conducting research. The book serves as a foundational text for students and an invaluable resource for experienced researchers seeking to expand their research knowledge and expertise.' -- Robin Hardin, University of Tennessee, USAMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cheltenham
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 244 mm
Width: 169 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-0353-1721-9 (9781035317219)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Edited by Norm O'Reilly, Dean, College of Business, University of New England and Gashaw Abeza, Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology, Towson University, USA
Content
Contents
Introduction: about the Research Handbook on Sports Management and Marketing xv
PART I RESEARCH APPROACHES AND STRATEGIES
1 Mixed methods design: typologies and applications 2
Gashaw Abeza and Norm O'Reilly
2 Observation as a tool for scientific sport management/marketing research 16
Darlene A. Kluka and Anneliese Goslin
3 Narrative inquiry: opportunities for sport management research 34
Lauren Beasley and Robin Hardin
4 The sequential-funnel-based focus group and collegiate athletes: exploring
name, image, and likeness 55
Connor Blake, Katherine Reifurth, Thomas Erick, Sam Lander, Norm
O'Reilly, and Rick Burton
5 Sports consumer responses toward recreational cannabis use by Spanish
professional football players: the application of experimental methodology 65
Sean Pradhan, Sean Laraway, Susan Snycerski, and Kristi Sadler
6 Experimental methods for sport management: establishing causation 76
TzuShou Ryan Wang and Sophia Deulre Min
7 Survey research methods 86
Ali Mondt
8 Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM) 105
Cony Ho, TzuShuo Ryan Wang, and Sophia Deulre Min
PART II RESEARCH DATA GATHERING METHODS
9 The Delphi technique and sport 118
Mark Dottori and Alex Sevigny
10 Stakeholder interviews: the case of contrasting esports and traditional
sports 126
Noel Savage, Rusty Stough, and Norm O'Reilly
11 The use of the photo-elicitation interview in studying participatory sport 140
Guangzhou Chen, Thomas Aicher, and Brianna Newland
12 Utilizing interviews in developing economic frameworks: the case of sport
participation financial costs 150
Michael D.M. Alcorn, Norm O'Reilly, and Connor Blake
13 Fan survey research: the case of the NWSL 159
Cindy Lee
14 Survey research methods in sport management: member satisfaction of
health-fitness club service 168
Eddie T.C. Lam and David J. Topor
15 Employee survey research 194
Robin Hardin
16 Scale development: betting in sport 206
Arif Yuece and Sevda Goekce Yuece
17 The best of the bunch: using bestworst scaling to model choices 226
Walker J. Ross
18 Public player salary data: career compensation of NBA players 235
Norm O'Reilly and Muralee Das
PART III RESEARCH DATA ANALYSIS METHODS
19 Critical discourse analysis 253
Katie Sveinson
20 Sentiment analysis 266
Luke L. Mao and Tyreal Y. Qian
21 Survival approaches to the analysis of longitudinal data: a methodological
illustration utilizing sport sponsorship 280
Jonathan A. Jensen
22 Using machine learning and word embeddings to quantify gender
stereotypes in Sports Illustrated 301
Sam Shuoyu Chen and James Jianhui Zhang
23 Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) research guidelines 317
Nadege Levallet and James S. Denford
24 Regression analyses in sport management 341
Zachary Beldon and Shahaf Bareni
25 Multiple linear regression 355
N. David Pifer
Introduction: about the Research Handbook on Sports Management and Marketing xv
PART I RESEARCH APPROACHES AND STRATEGIES
1 Mixed methods design: typologies and applications 2
Gashaw Abeza and Norm O'Reilly
2 Observation as a tool for scientific sport management/marketing research 16
Darlene A. Kluka and Anneliese Goslin
3 Narrative inquiry: opportunities for sport management research 34
Lauren Beasley and Robin Hardin
4 The sequential-funnel-based focus group and collegiate athletes: exploring
name, image, and likeness 55
Connor Blake, Katherine Reifurth, Thomas Erick, Sam Lander, Norm
O'Reilly, and Rick Burton
5 Sports consumer responses toward recreational cannabis use by Spanish
professional football players: the application of experimental methodology 65
Sean Pradhan, Sean Laraway, Susan Snycerski, and Kristi Sadler
6 Experimental methods for sport management: establishing causation 76
TzuShou Ryan Wang and Sophia Deulre Min
7 Survey research methods 86
Ali Mondt
8 Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM) 105
Cony Ho, TzuShuo Ryan Wang, and Sophia Deulre Min
PART II RESEARCH DATA GATHERING METHODS
9 The Delphi technique and sport 118
Mark Dottori and Alex Sevigny
10 Stakeholder interviews: the case of contrasting esports and traditional
sports 126
Noel Savage, Rusty Stough, and Norm O'Reilly
11 The use of the photo-elicitation interview in studying participatory sport 140
Guangzhou Chen, Thomas Aicher, and Brianna Newland
12 Utilizing interviews in developing economic frameworks: the case of sport
participation financial costs 150
Michael D.M. Alcorn, Norm O'Reilly, and Connor Blake
13 Fan survey research: the case of the NWSL 159
Cindy Lee
14 Survey research methods in sport management: member satisfaction of
health-fitness club service 168
Eddie T.C. Lam and David J. Topor
15 Employee survey research 194
Robin Hardin
16 Scale development: betting in sport 206
Arif Yuece and Sevda Goekce Yuece
17 The best of the bunch: using bestworst scaling to model choices 226
Walker J. Ross
18 Public player salary data: career compensation of NBA players 235
Norm O'Reilly and Muralee Das
PART III RESEARCH DATA ANALYSIS METHODS
19 Critical discourse analysis 253
Katie Sveinson
20 Sentiment analysis 266
Luke L. Mao and Tyreal Y. Qian
21 Survival approaches to the analysis of longitudinal data: a methodological
illustration utilizing sport sponsorship 280
Jonathan A. Jensen
22 Using machine learning and word embeddings to quantify gender
stereotypes in Sports Illustrated 301
Sam Shuoyu Chen and James Jianhui Zhang
23 Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) research guidelines 317
Nadege Levallet and James S. Denford
24 Regression analyses in sport management 341
Zachary Beldon and Shahaf Bareni
25 Multiple linear regression 355
N. David Pifer