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PurposeNational Olympic Committees (NOCs) in small states operate in a unique market (e.g. small population, confined market and limited private sector) that brings challenges in securing sponsors and funding athletes. Whereas more than a quarter of International Olympic Committee (IOC)-recognized NOCs represent small states, not much is known about the sponsorship landscape in the market. This study explores the importance and challenges of NOC sponsorship in small states, with a focus on the Caribbean region.Design/methodology/approachInterviews were conducted with representatives from NOCs in Caribbean small states. Textual analyses were conducted with Leximancer to identify key themes on the importance and challenges of NOC sponsorship.FindingsAthletes, funding and community were identified as key themes for the importance of NOC sponsorship. Olympic Movement, time, priority, resources and overcome were themes for sponsorship challenges. Compared to existing sponsorship knowledge driven from developed economies, known determinants for the sponsor's decision-making (e.g. interest in sport, competitor) were found to affect NOC sponsorship in Caribbean small states, but in distinctive ways. Particularly, the lacking appreciation of Olympic values and sport within society, resource constraints (e.g. volunteer-based and operating “within reality”) and competition against member federations and government were highlighted as unique situations/challenges faced in the market.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to explore NOC sponsorship in the important, yet overlooked, market of Caribbean small states. Theoretical insights on how existing sponsorship knowledge applies to and practical implications for securing NOC sponsorship in the marginalized market are provided.

In order to provide high-quality sport events and cultivate economic, social, and environmental benefits in the local community, regional sport commissions in the US form partnerships with organizations across sectors. Building on Parent and Harvey's partnership framework, this study seeks to reveal the components and processes of the collaboration between sport commissions and their partners in the delivery of sport events and subsequent outcomes. Using purposive and convenient sampling, data were collected from 12 in-depth interviews with leaders in sport commissions and partnering organizations based on their accessibility and familiarity with the research topic. The study identifies five main areas and multiple subcomponents of event-based partnerships, providing empirical evidence for Parent and Harvey's partnership model. The findings advance this model by specifying the outcomes, challenges, and positive conditions for event-based partnerships and showing interactions between partnership components. More importantly, the findings contribute to a greater understanding of the partnership complexities and dynamics in the sport event-specific context and provide practical insights for sport commissions and other sport event organizers to strategically manage and maintain sport event-based partnerships.

Understanding sport consumer well-being is essential for enhancing the psychological experience and benefits of sport consumers. While watching a sporting event on TV or Internet is a key means of sport consumption, not much is known about the activity’s influence on well-being. Well-being improves when one’s hedonic, eudaimonic, and social needs are fulfilled. Need fulfillment occurs when hedonic, eudaimonic, and social values are experienced and perceived as one’s own. A pre-post survey and SEM-based research was conducted to examine individuals’ psychological experiences in sport event viewing and its link to well-being. The influences of the sport fanship and media consumption setting on the links were also examined. The results indicate that hedonic, eudaimonic, and social values experienced by sport event viewers fully or partially (moderated by sport fanship and media consumption setting) led to well-being improvement, supporting the notion of hedonic, eudaimonic, and social needs fulfillment as the mechanism of improving well-being in this context.