1st Edition
The Global Football Industry Marketing Perspectives
In recent years, football’s status as "the world’s sport" has shown little sign of waning. From increasing participation at grassroots levels and to the highly lucrative media rights deals secured by the top elite clubs, the game appears to be thriving as it continues to excite and enthral billions of people around the globe. Nevertheless, there are a number of challenges and opportunities facing the football industry today that warrant further examination.
This book brings together leading international researchers to survey the current state of the global football industry, exploring contemporary themes and issues in the marketing of football around the world. With contributions from Europe, Asia and the Americas, it discusses key topics such as football club management, the economics of the football industry, match-fixing, social media, fan experiences, the globalized marketplace, and the growing popularity of the women’s game.
Offering insights for researchers, managers, and marketers who are looking to stay ahead of the game, The Global Football Industry: Marketing Perspectives is essential reading for anyone with an interest in international sport business.
Section I: Global Football Industry
1. Contemporary Global Football Industry: An Introduction
[N. David Pifer, Yan Wang, Glaucio Scremin, Brenda G. Pitts, and James J. Zhang]
2. European Grassroots Football: Structural and Managerial Peculiarities
[Christoph Breuer and Tobias Nowy]
3. Economic Importance of Football in Germany
[Holger Preuss, Iris an der Heiden and Christian Alfs]
4. Non-local Portuguese Football Fans and Their Love for ‘The Big Three’
[Boris Osorio and Craig Hyatt]
5. The Driving Forces of Competitive Balance in European Football: A Review of Europe’s Top Leagues
[N. David Pifer]
6. Competitive Balance in the Chinese Football League
[Jie Xu, Scott Tainsky, Liang Wei, and Natalie L. Smith]
Section II: Marketing Perspectives
7. Psychographic Profiling and Segmenting Major Indoor Soccer League Fans
[Glaucio Scremin and Su Liu]
8. When the Beautiful Game Turns Ugly: Fan Experiences of Perceived Match Fixing in Football
[Adriano M. Lamberti and Craig Hyatt]
9. Videographic Analysis of "Weird Guys": What Do Relationships Mean to Football Fans?
[Herbert Woratschek, Chris Horbel and Bastian Popp]
10. Comparison of Marketing Approaches in Men’s and Women’s Football Events
[Dana Ellis and Becca Leopkey]
11. The Equalizer: Feminist Themes in NWSL Club Marketing
[Chris Henderson, Becca Leopkey and James J. Zhang]
12. General Game Support Programs Associated with Professional Team Sports
[Kevin K. Byon, Mandy Y. Zhang, Noah Y. Hsu, Dan Drane, Brenda G. Pitts, and James J. Zhang]
Biography
James J. Zhang is Professor and Director of the International Center for Sport Management (ICSM) at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, USA
Brenda G. Pitts is Professor of Sport Management and Director of the Sport Business Research Laboratory at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA
