International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship

SPECIAL ISSUE – CALL FOR PAPERS

Critical Issues and Challenges in the Sport Industry of Growing Economies

Guest Editors

James J. Zhang and John Nauright

This proposed International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship (IJSMS) special issue focuses on the sport industry in countries with a growing economy and sport industry that are located in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Traditionally, scholarly inquiries into the sport industry in these developing economies have often been overlooked. Developing countries have become a prime target market for the expansionary strategies of some of the world’s most powerful sport leagues, teams, manufacture companies, and media corporations. The influence of transnational broadcasters in these countries and the intensive marketing efforts of Western sport organizations provide European and North American-based sports leagues, such as the English Premier League and the National Basketball Association, with great advantage in dominating the marketplace, which at time could hamper the survive and thrive of indigenous sport product development. Sport consumers in developing countries tend to develop a predisposition of choosing globally marketed Western sport leagues, teams, stars, and licensed products over those made locally. The pressures of globalized culture and sport products could weigh heavily on local cultural and sport elements.

Local sport traditions and the need to retain sport identity and domestic products can clash with increasing capitalist ideals (e.g., wealth, status, and stardom). They are in particular facing challenges and dilemmas in protecting local and national sport interests vs. generating consumer sport interests through imported sport products, investment in exporting vs. investment in inventing and developing sport products, balancing between importing talents (athletes and coach) vs. developing talents, balancing between supporting commercial sports vs. developing Olympic sports with medal potentials, and dealing with anxieties and struggles between local administrative control vs. the sense of loss of control. The critical question here is “what to do in these developing economies?” Having a special issue with a focus on these regions would help IJSMS well-positioned to serve a wider range of the global sport industry and the sport management academia.

Consistent with the aims and objectives of IJSMS, this Special Issue intends to seek contributions that critically examine, debate, and shed light on broad perspectives of sport marketing, sponsorship, and/or business operations in the sport industry of growing economies. Through the selection of high-quality research manuscripts, this special issue is aimed to advance theories, seek solutions for contemporary issues encountered in the sport industry of developing economies, and ultimately advance sport business in developing countries. We are especially interested in empirical, theoretical, critical, and case studies focusing on such a wide spectrum of issues as the following:

• Macro and micro marketing strategies for the sport industry of growing economies
• Developing indigenous, local, and domestic sport products
• Balancing importing and producing sport products (e.g., events, games, and game extensions) and dealing with globalized market competitions
• Dilemmas in sport sponsorship, endorsement, advertisement, and broadcasting
• Sport governance, policy, and business development
• Cultural heritage, event operations, and service quality
• Promoting sport products and services from growing economies to developed countries

Submission Guidelines: Manuscripts should be prepared and submitted in accordance with the International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship’s submission requirements (http://emeraldgrouppublishing.com/products/journals/author_guidelines.htm?id=ijsms) Submissions should be made on the Scholar One system as indicated in the submission guidelines – please select this special issue from the drop down menu when submitting.

The guest editors are keen to discuss and advise on proposed research projects, but this is no guarantee of publication.

Manuscripts should be submitted no later than August 15, 2017.

Contact Details for the Guest Co-Editors:

Dr. James J. Zhang, Professor and Director
International Center for Sport Management (ICSM)
354 Ramsey Center
University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
Tel. 01-706-542-4420
E-mail: jamesz48@uga.edu

Dr. John Nauright, Chair and Professor
Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Recreation
University of North Texas
Denton, TX 76203-5017
Phone: +1 940-565-2546
Email: john.nauright@unt.edu

---