Within this article, the author draws on Rao et al.’s theory of the deep structure of organizations to analyze the extent to which decision-making power across sport for development and peace organizations is gender inclusive. Findings from interviews with women and men leaders indicate that decision-making power across the organizations is inclusive to women, with women holding positional power and having a voice to influence. However, the author emphasizes that caution must be taken in claiming that such decision-making power is fully gender inclusive. This is because “women” in positions of power mostly represent privileged profiles, and men hold the most powerful positions. These findings are strongly linked to the origin stories of the organizations, with all having men (co)founders. The gendered implications of such men-dominated organizational histories were found to span both inward- and outward-facing organizational elements and were reported to be difficult to challenge.
Browse
“It’s Like This One Man’s Baby”: Gender and Decision-Making Power in Sport for Development and Peace Organizations
Lucy V. Piggott
The Business of Sports Betting
Sangchul Park
Champion of the Country: Mediated Sports Game Watching and National Identity Construction for the Chinese Diaspora
Xiaotong Liu
This study explores how watching international sports is related to the identity of overseas Chinese. Starting from the social significance of mediated sports, the article constructs its conceptual framework through the symbolic power of sports, media events, imagined community, networked publics, and characteristics of the diasporic community. Based on this, the study carried out 10 interviews on the Chinese diaspora in the United Kingdom, summarized the mechanisms and ways of linking mediated sports with national unity, and revealed the factors that will probably cause change to this connection. The results show that the symbolic power of sports and the consciousness as Asian are ties of diaspora identity construction and form patriotism in sporting contexts. Meanwhile, the degree of integration into local society and their community preference are influencing the status of collective identity enhancement brought by mediated sports.
Examining Gendered Experiences in Sport Management: An Introduction
Scott Tainsky and Shannon Kerwin
Administering Internships in Sport Management: Comparing Practices in the Discipline
Michael A. Odio, Cassandra J. Coble, and Emily Padgett Plunkett
This study examined how academic programs administrate their internships, including implementing and executing their philosophy and internship rationale, and connecting with and managing relationships with internship agencies while accounting for contextual information (e.g., geography, size, and research vs. teaching focus). Using a case-study methodology, 12 sport management programs’ internship approaches were analyzed, leading to several cross-case themes and larger interpretations useful for advancing future research and practice related to internships. Several commonalities and differences were observed that offer insight important for interpreting existing research and recommending practices across programs.
Does He Make a Difference? Analyzing the Role of Men Athletes in the Framing of Elite Women CrossFit Athletes in Sportswear Retailers’ Marketing Materials
Alexandra Gibson and Andrea N. Geurin
This study examined the role of men athletes in framing women athletes in marketing images, and CrossFit was used as the sport-specific context. The purpose was to understand how consumers perceive women athletes, whether the presence of men athletes influences these perceptions, and if consumers perceive women athletes to be represented more accurately when pictured alone or with male counterparts. Using a mixed-methods approach involving both quantitative and qualitative analysis, questionnaires (n = 389) and interviews (n = 19) were utilized to gather participants’ perceptions on videos featuring all women CrossFit athletes and/or those with men and women CrossFit athletes. Results showed that consumers’ perceptions began to shift when looking at their athletic competence, although a focus on appearance remained. While the results of the questionnaires revealed no clear correlation between the presence of men athletes and the perception of women athletes, the interviews suggested a relationship, highlighting the complex role that male athletes play. Overall, the study indicates that consumers perceive women athletes to be framed more accurately when pictured alone and offers valuable insights into how men athletes affect consumers’ perceptions of women athletes.
Volume 18 (2024): Issue 2 (Oct 2024)
Throwing Them Under the Bus: The Framing of a Critical Incident at the Tour de France
Ryan Snelgrove, Laura Wood, Larena Hoeber, and Orland Hoeber
In the context of sport events, several stakeholders’ reputations could be impacted by critical incidents, including event organizers, athletes, teams, countries represented by athletes, and sponsors. The purposes of this study were to develop an understanding of (a) how an event organizer, media, and the public framed a critical incident in a rhetorical arena and (b) how frames were connected with the reputations of event stakeholders immediately following a critical incident. A three-phase approach was employed that involved collecting and analyzing data from X/Twitter about a bus crash at the 2013 Tour de France. The critical incident was framed in nine different ways, many of which were emergent. Findings demonstrated that critical incidents at a sport event are interpreted and framed in multiple ways and can have an impact on the reputations of the event and other event stakeholders.
From the Other Side: Supervisor Perspectives on Paid Versus Unpaid Sport Management Internships
Rachel M. Madsen, Heidi Grappendorf, Heidi M. Parker, and Cynthia Veraldo
Internships help position college students to succeed in the sport industry but have historically been unpaid. In response to a call from Walker et al. for more research on the impacts of unpaid internships, this study interviewed internship supervisors regarding their perspectives on unpaid internships. Data analysis was framed by institutional theory, exploitation theory, and efficiency wage theory. Results showed that supervisors use several narratives to justify unpaid internships and organizations are often slow to change without a pressing reason. While the supervisors believed that higher pay would attract better candidates and produce higher quality work, they also believed that some organizations are not capable of paying their interns and sport organizations are popular enough to attract many applicants without paying.
Hitting Two Targets With One Arrow: Providing Hands-On Experience to Students via Strategic Partnerships With Athletic Departments
Patrick Hairston and Cindy Lee
This case study highlights the symbiotic relationship between sport management programs and athletic departments, emphasizing the benefits of leveraging on-campus athletics for practical student experiences. Given the prominence of intercollegiate athletics in the United States, universities have a unique opportunity to offer sport management students hands-on learning while on campus. Through the lens of a fundraising project, this study demonstrates effective strategies for building partnerships with athletic departments. It underlines how such projects provide real-world industry experience, focusing not only on technical skills but also on soft skills. The case study shows that both students and athletic departments can significantly benefit from this collaborative approach, enriching the educational experience and contributing to the professional development of future sport industry leaders.