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Despite the undoubted importance of Public Relations (PR) in the sport industry and the increasing reliance on external PR agencies, the study of the PR agency – client relationship within this context remains in its infancy. In this study, we focus on the question, how can PR agencies develop and maintain strong relationships with their sport clients for the benefit to both parties? Qualitative data generated through semi-structured interviews with twenty "business elite informants" comprising senior PR agency executives reveal a new multi-layered conceptualization of the PR agency – client organization relationship. The findings uncover a "surface" layer to the relationship captured by a client satisfaction – dissatisfaction continuum, a core layer of relationship management and trust, to the deepest layer characterized by power (im)balance between the two parties. Uncovering the complex, nuanced and multi-layered dynamics of the relationship highlights effective PR outsourcing practices to be utilized for future value maximization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing interest being drawn to sustainability development in sport, and UEFA’s recent sustainability strategy being introduced as a roadmap and pressure level for football organisations’ sustainability efforts to intensify, the implementation of sustainability policy is becoming key for football’s sustainable development. In this study, through the lens of institutional theory and isomorphism, we focused on the under-studied recipients of said strategy, the UEFA’s member national associations (NAs), to capture the existing sustainability efforts within them, as they are reported on their official communications, and thus the backdrop to which the strategy was introduced and is being promoted. Qualitative document analysis was conducted on all official communications (website, national strategies, press releases) of all UEFA’s NAs. Through this, five levels of sustainability in European football were identified, capturing patterns in the existence of social and environmental sustainability actions and strategies among UEFA’s NAs. The five levels of sustainability in European football presented allow for a better understanding of the full spectrum of sustainability in football to be depicted, while acknowledging potentially overlooked nuances in the existence of not only actions but also strategies to guide organisations in their sustainability efforts, and illustrating the gradual progression from no sustainability to more sophisticated social and environmental sustainability in football. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the resurgence of deviant leisure cultures in football, with a focus on virtual football violence. Despite advancements in curbing violence in UK football stadiums, new challenges emerge online. By analysing social media discourse from three English Premier League matches in 2022, the study reveals the prevalence of several forms of virtual violence, including threats of physical and sexual violence, emotional violence, and discriminatory violence. The research highlights the resurgence of ‘traditional’ norms of masculinity, aggression, and misogyny facilitated by anonymity in online spaces. Paradoxically, the results show that fans engage in derogatory language while simultaneously condemning similar actions by others. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the category of discriminatory violence, where comments are frequently challenged, indicating a ‘raising of consciousness’ and a growing intolerance to certain forms of discriminatory language. However, despite some evidence of social consciousness and pushback against discriminatory language, the prevalence of virtual violence remains concerning on multiple levels. This underscores the need for continued efforts to promote respectful discourse and foster inclusive environments online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study delves into the psychological processes underlying sport fans' post-purchase innovativeness behaviour. This exploratory research aims to establish a theoretical framework that elucidates the formation of sport fans' word-of-mouth (WOM) behaviours, particularly emphasising the structural relationship between motivated consumer innovativeness and satisfaction in using AR live-streaming services. Design/methodology/approach: Utilising an online survey and convenience sampling, the study garnered a total of 243 usable responses from three online baseball fan communities in South Korea. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to assess the psychometric properties of the constructs. Subsequently, a structural equation model was used to probe the influence of motivated consumer innovativeness on WOM, with a particular focus on the mediating role of satisfaction. Findings: Three dimensions of motivated sport fans innovativeness – functional, hedonic and cognitive – showed a positive association with WOM, partly mediated by satisfaction. In contrast, socially motivated sport fans innovativeness did not directly lead to WOM but influenced it solely through satisfaction. The full mediating role of satisfaction in the relationship between socially motivated fans innovativeness and WOM was found. Originality/value: This research stands out as one of the scant studies exploring motivated sport fans innovativeness in the context of AR live sport streaming. The findings not only corroborate but also augment the extant literature by empirically confirming that three dimensions of motivated fans innovativeness, coupled with satisfaction, are pivotal antecedents to WOM intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study seeks to investigate the role of host governments’ policy public relations and crisis response strategies in shaping residents’ support for mega sport events. Specifically, the research focuses on the moderation effects of crisis response strategies on the relationships between the government-public relationships (GPR) dimensions (i.e., control mutuality, trust, and satisfaction) and residents’ support. The research targeted residents of Tokyo, a host city for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Online surveys were disseminated via an international survey company between 23rd to 29th October 2020, obtaining 500 complete responses. Then, a two-step approach was utilised to ensure the tenability of the hypothesised model: CFA for testing the measurement model and SEM for testing the hypothetical relationships. There was a positive association between perceived control mutuality and satisfaction with residents’ support for the mega sport event. The study reaffirmed the importance of control mutuality and satisfaction as GPR indicators for residents’ support, introducing this concept into the mega sport event context. In addition, the relationship between control mutuality and residents’ support was moderated by their perception of the appropriateness of crisis response. Based on the results, theoretical and practical implications were presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Olympic Games (OG) are renowned for their prestige and socio-economic benefits; however, they have suffered criticism for their environmental practices. Unlike existing studies on the matter, which adopt top-down approaches, the purpose of this exploratory study is to conduct bottom-up research to understand Olympians’ perspectives of environmental sustainability within the OG. Data collected through semi-structured interviews with eight Olympians are used in this study to uncover an initial indication of their valuable yet previously undisclosed perspectives. Through the data, the Olympians’ awareness of the symbiotic relationship between sport and the environment is shown, alongside the factors that influence it. Uncovering Olympians’ perspectives allows for their call for change and collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to be highlighted, while indicating that existing obstacles might be limiting the athletes and the Olympics in their efforts, progress and internalisation of environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the field of cryptocurrency in sports being primarily discussed from the material and financial standpoint of industry producers, in our study, we conduct a qualitative exploration into the consumption of Fan Tokens within the realm of football fandom in order to elucidate the experiences and motivations of football fans in their consumption of Fan Tokens. Data collected through 10 focus groups with 60 fan token consumers were used for this study, revealing a nuanced landscape in which Fan Tokens serve a multifaceted role in the construction of fan identity and engagement within the context of football’s serious leisure markets. As such, we uncovered the concept of Fan Tokens as ‘tokens of identity’, where fans employ Fan Tokens as symbolic expressions of their unwavering allegiance to football clubs. We also identified a subset of participants who approached Fan Tokens as ‘investment tokens’, and thus viewed them as a simple rational investment opportunity. Our research unveiled the intricate ways in which the consumption of Fan Tokens intersects with fan identity, engagement, and financial motivations in the world of football fandom, while indicating that Fan Tokens themselves represent a potential form of serious leisure within the broader context of football fandom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Enthusiasm for hosting mega sport events has been dampened mainly due to the opposition of local communities. Although the use of public relations that aims for two-way communication to build mutual understanding and the long-term relationship could be an effective tool in diminishing the opposition, little research exists that interprets the social concern with public relations theoretical lens. In this light, the primary purpose of the present study was to conceptualise government-public relationships in the context of mega sport events and to develop a valid and psychometrically sound scale to measure the relationship quality between two entities. Design/methodology/approach: An initial pool of 23 potential government-public relationship items was drawn through item generation processes, including research synthesis and content validity. Then, this study collected 254 respondents via online surveys and split the total sample into two sets for exploratory factor analysis and (n = 127) and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 127). Findings: As a result, the scale of the government-public relationships consists of 17 items representing three dimensions: control mutuality, trust and satisfaction. Originality/value: The developed government-public relationship scale furnishes event marketers and researchers with a solid framework and a measurement tool for empirical examinations. The current research reveals that the dimensionality, reliability and validity of the three latent government-public relationships dimensions are satisfactory while failing to meet the general consensus that commitment is an important dimension of the existing organisation-public relationships scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: With the remarkable advancements in information and communication technologies, comprehending online sport fan communities is being pushed further up in the agenda of sport teams worldwide. Based on social identity theory, the main purpose of this research paper is to test the mechanism of how horizontal relationships developed through online communities lead to vertical relationships such as team identification and behavioural intentions. Design/methodology/approach: Using a sample of online baseball fan community members in South Korea (N = 400) and employing structural equations modelling, the current research examined the structural relations among online community identification, team identification, behavioural intention and WOM intention while testing moderating effect of perceived authenticity. Findings: This study finds that online community identification has a significant positive impact on team-level consumer outcomes: team identification, behavioural intention and WOM intention. Team identification is verified as a significant determinant of both behavioural intention and WOM intention. Moreover, the partial mediating role of team identification in the relationships between online community identification and behavioural intentions are corroborated. Originality/value: The present study furnishes essential information for identifying the underlying mechanism of how fan-to-fan horizontal relationships cultivate team-to-fan vertical relationships in the context of the virtual fan community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the influence and power that the media hold and the importance placed on the role that they can assume regarding corruption, little is known about the part the media can play in corruption in sport and any challenges they might face in reporting on it. This study aims to shed light on this unexplored area, by using insights from members of the media based in three Balkan countries, to help uncover the challenges and obstacles faced by sport media. The findings of this study allow for the multifold role of the media in sport corruption to be examined, while uncovering the internally and externally driven obstacles they face, ranging from personal greed to market-based pressures and media's ostracism by the wider anti-corruption system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While discussion on corruption in sport is intensifying and football match-fixing in particular is attracting increasing attention, new fixing scandals emerge offering new accounts of actors and corrupt practices within the football industry and the level of the external threat to the sport. The scandal exposure of fixed matches in Turkey in 2011 sheds light on the fixing of 17 matches played in the 2010/11 football season and allowed for insights to the actors, structure and processes behind the fix. Following four criminal and seven disciplinary proceedings, the case is still pending appeal for its final decision, involving a total of 93 suspects and having already resulted in the exclusion of two teams from European competitions. The evidence collected by the authorities points towards a hierarchical criminal organisation led by the President of a football club that arranged and coordinated the fixing in order for his team to win the national Championship. The aim of this article is to provide an account of the organisation and coordination of match-fixing in Turkey, with its actors, specifics and criminal characteristics, while offering an examination of match-fixing for sporting success, the least documented type of match-fixing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the late 1990s, corrupt practices in Greek football have been considered to pose a serious threat to the integrity of the sport, with a number of schemes and measures being introduced as a response. The aim of this article is to show why corruption in Greek football is inevitable by offering a detailed account of three football-related corrupt practices and highlighting their contextual parameters, as well as juxtaposing them against the set of measures that have been implemented. By placing corruption in football in the wider landscape of the country and of global football, and examining the political, structural and economic factors that contribute to the overall managerial and financial implications of corruption, we present the reader with the new norm which, in reality, makes corruption the 'only game in town'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past years, the scholarly interest in match-fixing has grown. Although several empirical studies have tried to map the prevalence of match-fixing, the scope has often been limited to a given country, sports discipline, level of sports, and/or type of match-fixing. Moreover, match-fixing is often stereotyped as a problem caused by external criminals, while match-fixing by internal stakeholders occurs on a larger scale. When it comes to internal stakeholders, research to date has mainly focused on the vulnerability of athletes and referees to match-fixing. Nevertheless, other internal stakeholders in sports can also be the instigators of match-fixing, and may have different attitudes toward match-fixing. This study aims to fill these gaps by examining match-fixing among various internal stakeholders (n = 4958) involved in different sports across Europe. The results showed that internal stakeholders' attitudes toward match-fixing were not uniform. Additionally, almost one fifth of the respondents indicated (in)direct match-fixing incidents in the questionnaire. The majority of the cases concerned sporting-related match-fixing, while our results also revealed that sporting- and betting-related match-fixing can happen together. By examining various internal stakeholders' attitudes toward and experiences with match-fixing in European sports, this study could navigate future match-fixing prevention initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate Social Responsibility in the football industry is an important part of each club's agenda, while being more than a business trend. The way its activities are communicated, however, has not attracted, thus far, enough academic interest. This study aims at filling this literature gap by providing not only a presentation of the ways and methods in which CSR is promoted, but also a critical examination of their efficiency. This examination can only take place after the academic literature available on CSR promotion is scrutinized and the sample of the research is clarified. The FA Premier League clubs, the sample of this study, have then been carefully inspected with the help of insiders' interviews, providing details of their current practice in CSR promotion methods, as well as a critical review of their effectiveness. Finally, the question of abundance of CSR promotion in football is being answered taking into consideration both the insiders' and the public opinion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we address the subject of the recent appearance and exponential and uncontrollable growth that betting had in the Brazilian sports context, alongside numerous changes in the country’s legislation system. Against the backdrop of this growth, we explore the Operation Penalty Kick organised match-fixing scandal, which unravelled in the country, as the media detailed it. Using media sources and field notes from two actors immersed in the field, we analyse the key actors and the processes of the criminal activity while exploring the ways in which it was organised, drawing parallels with trade-type network structures. Through the analysis, we argue that media are to be questioned on their role in (un)covering details of the criminal activity and key actors, once focusing the narrative away from organised crime and its financing they assist in perpetuating the culture of unpunished corruption in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]