Conceptualising corruption in sport: Implications for sponsorship programmes

The aim of this article is to define and conceptualise corruption in sport and begin to discuss the implications of corruption for sponsorship programmes. By coding and analysing a data set collected of cases of corruption in international sport as the first stage of a five-stage mixed-method approach, the author will begin to highlight the implications of such behaviour for sponsors of sport whilst discussing potential strategies for sponsors should they become embroiled in such a sporting scandal.

As the industry has grown, sports, teams and, perhaps most extensively, players have established worldwide appeal and an ever-growing consumer base. Aware of this global appeal, companies have sought to capitalise and pay millions of dollars to be associated with these sports, teams and players, recognising the power of sport and sports events in reaching target audiences.

Gaining brand equity can result from being associated with successful teams or athletes or being recognised as sponsors of popular sports, with the sports, teams or athletes involved in such relationships also benefiting from this brand image. Not only can this prove very lucrative for potential sponsors but, also, it inevitably opens many avenues that sports, teams and players can exploit, especially for financial gain.

There has been much debate as to why sport has become such a lucrative global industry in sport management literature. Whannel (1992) suggests that it is the “uncertainty [of sport] that gives its unpredictable joys their characteristic intensity” (Mason, 1999:405). It is this uncertainty and unpredictability that makes sport such an exciting opportunity for businesses around the world to take advantage of.

But what happens if this uncertainty and unpredictability has been taken away?

In recent years, there has been an increasing number of reports detailing ‘corrupt’ behaviour by individuals at all levels of sport and those associated with it, both on and off the field of play, in the pursuit of financial success, usually reserved for those who are winning global championships or events. Allegations of match fixing, illegal gambling, bribery and doping plague the industry.

But what impact does this type of behaviour have on the companies that have invested millions of dollars in sport? How do sponsors react if it is reported that their star endorser has used performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) or fixed the result of a match? Or if an event is rife with cheating? Are sponsors becoming more cautious in their use of sport as a means to reach target audiences?

The full research article is published in Play the Game's knowledge bank.
Read the article Conceptualising corruption in sport: Implications for sponsorship programmes here.

This research article was first published in The European Business Review, and is republished in Play the Game's knowledge bank with kind permission from the authors.

Samantha Gorse is a PhD candidate and research scholar at the Centre for the International Business of Sport, Coventry University. Her PhD is investigating the impact of corruption in international sport on sponsorship programmes.

In relation with her PhD project, she is building a database of cases of corruption in sport – currently in excess of 5,000 cases have been collected and recorded.

To do this, she would appreciate your help. So if you have information or know of any other data sources that she might use to expand her database, please contact samantha.gorse@coventry.ac.uk