Sports Management in an Uncertain Environment

This edited book delves into several aspects of sports and sports management from a vantage of uncertainty and turbulence unleashed initially by COVID-19. The book, divided into three broad sections, deals in strategy and governance of sports organizations, use and evolution of technology in sports, and sports consumption and media. It starts from the backdrop of how sport assumed a new-found importance in people’s lives while reeling under several phases of pandemic-induced lockdowns. Consumers felt how integral sports was in their lives when there were no live games to watch and bond on. Players, leagues, organizers, and media are still recovering, along with viewers, as sports makes a tentative comeback in our lives. COVID-19 was a precursor of the disruptions to come. Both the supply and demand sides have taken note of those disturbances to prepare themselves for any such potential derailments. The organizations, franchises, athletes, media, health care, logistics on sports have been reworking their strategies to keep coping with uncertainties. On the other hand, the consumers have transformed their sports consumption behavior over these two years, aided by the enormous technological changes.

Such a backdrop paved the way for researchers to understand how the sports industry has dealt with this impact and has rediscovered itself to take its coveted spot. This book is a snapshot of several global sports changes and how they continue to evolve in an increasingly turbulent and uncertain world. It will be a rich resource not only for academics studying sports management, but also event management organizations, administrators, and policymakers. 

Bhaskar Basu is Professor of Information Systems at Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIM University), India, and a Resource Faculty for Sports Management program under XEBS (Xavier Emlyon Business School) supported by Govt. of Odisha (India). He is a Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (India), and a gold medalist from Jadavpur University (India). In addition, he completed his PGDBM (equivalent to MBA) from Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (India), and is an avid follower of sports. He has a rich combined experience of around 30 years in industry and academics and has publications in international journals predominantly in the realm of business and technology, besides writing regular sports articles in newspapers. He has also edited a book on "Organizational Learning".

Michel Desbordes is currently the Affiliated Professor of Sports Marketing at Emlyon Business School, France. He is also a Marketing Professor at the University of Paris-Sud, France. In his academic career, he has been an Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa, Canada, and the Shanghai University of Sports, China. Prof. Desbordes has published 32 reference books in the field of sports marketing, as well as numerous academic articles. As a Media Consultant, he is regularly consulted by BFM, France Télévisions, Europe 1, Le Monde and L’Équipe to discuss matters of sports business. Since 2009, he has also been the Chief Editor of the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship.

Soumya Sarkar is presently associated as a Faculty Member of Marketing in Indian Institute of Management, Ranchi (India). Prof. Sarkar did his B.E. Metallurgical from Jadavpur University, Calcutta, post which he pursued a PGDBM and was a Fellow (Marketing) at IIM Calcutta. In the past, Prof. Sarkar has worked as a Faculty at XIMB and IIM Udaipur and 14 years of industry experience at ESAB India Ltd. Among numerous book chapters, case studies, and publications Prof. Sarkar has written, he also published a book titled Business-to-Business Marketing: Relationships, Networks, and Strategies with Nick Ellis. His primary research interest is in Sports and Entertainment Marketing.