A content analysis of Sport Marketing Quarterly 1992-2011.
Peetz, Ted B. ; Reams, Lamar
A Content Analysis of Sport Marketing Quarterly: 1992-2011
Sport Marketing Quarterly (SMQ) was the first academic journal
designed to specifically investigate sport marketing (Pitts, 2002). The
Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA) lists sport
marketing as a key content area of sport management education (COSMA,
2010). SMQ is recognized as the leading publication of conceptual and
empirical research on the subject matter (Quarterman, Pitts, Jackson,
Kim, & Kim, 2005) and is an increasingly attractive outlet for
publication (Crow & Bradish, 2002). Since the first issue was
published in 1992 the sport marketing landscape and the field's
body of knowledge have increased significantly (Pitts, 2002).
Recognizing this growth, the mission of the journal has evolved to
reflect a purpose of continued development and application of sport
marketing research:
To provide a forum for authors who wish to create new knowledge
and/or apply existing concepts and theories in sport marketing. To this
end, Sport Marketing Quarterly is committed to publishing high quality
research that advances the study and practice of sport marketing and is
relevant to the professional interests of the sport marketing community.
("Mission Statement," 2011, p. 66)
Crow and Bradish (2002) noted that "as the practice of sport
marketing continues to grow increasingly sophisticated, academicians
must be proactive in defining our role in that growth, lest we be left
behind" (p. 79). One way to examine how researchers have approached
research in a field is through a critical examination of the literature
produced. Investigations of the research content of a discipline can
"help to determine what is on the cutting edge, considered
valuable, or esteemed by academicians" (Pedersen & Pitts, 2001,
p. 8). One approach used to analyze communication, including academic
research, is content analysis (Pedersen & Pitts, 2001). Therefore,
the purpose of this study was to conduct a content analysis examining
the first 20 years of SMQ. The study focused on the journal's
authors, editors, research methods, sport marketing components, sport
industry segments and gender focus of each of the peer-revised,
empirical research articles.
Review of Literature
Sport marketing research is still in its relative infancy as a
field of study. Many have debated over how to define sport marketing and
how to approach research within this area of study. Fullerton (2010)
noted, "despite ... growth, there is still considerable confusion
as to what types of activities constitute the domain of sports
marketing" (p. 2). A result of this confusion is the continuous
debate as to what role SMQ should serve in the academic-practitioner
relationship (Bradish & Crow, 2002). The journal's tagline,
"... where research meets practice ..." (Sport Marketing
Quarterly, 2011, inside cover) speaks to the journal's vision of
providing a valuable resource to both academic researchers and
practicing sport marketers (Bradish & Crow, 2002).
Janet Parks, during her 1992 Zeigler Award Lecture, pointed to this
dual approach as one necessary to create a "symbolic relationship
between theory and practice in sport management scholarship"
(Parks, 1992, p. 221). Others have claimed it is inappropriate for the
journal to strive for this dual objective and that it should instead
focus on theory-grounded research (Mahony & Pitts, 1998). A critical
examination of SMQ will allow for a better understanding of the
direction the journal has taken and how sport marketing research has
evolved. To this end, the authors conducted a content analysis by
adopting the framework of Pedersen and Pitts (2001) to gain perspective
on the journal and evolution of the sport marketing research.
Previous analysis of sport management publications have occurred
(Barber, Parkhouse, & Tedrick, 1998; Gordon & Yoh, 2007; Kent,
Jordan, & Inoue, 2009; Lambrecht, 1991; Mondello & Pedersen,
2003; Pedersen & Pitts, 2001; Pitts & Pedersen, 2005;
Quarterman, Pitts, Jackson, Kim, & Kim, 2005; Quarterman, Jackson,
Kim, Yoo, Koo, Pruegger, & Han, 2006). However, prior to the current
study a comprehensive analysis of SMQ's first 20 years has not been
conducted. Many sport management scholars have commented on the state of
sport management literature, saying it lacks in reflecting the many
areas of the sport business industry (Mahony & Pitts, 1998; Pedersen
& Pitts, 2001; Pitts, 2001). Brenda Pitts (2001) noted in her
Zeigler Lecture Award that the lack of coverage for all areas within the
sport management field could be problematic, saying, "when one
reads the totality of our literature, one gets the distinct impression
that sport management is nothing more than the study of college
athletics and some professional sports" (p. 3).
Most content analysis studies examining sport management research
have inspected the Journal of Sport Management (JSM) as it is the first
and longest running professional journal devoted to the sport management
field. Lambrecht's (1991) early attempt to summarize research
published in JSM concluded that in the journal's first 45 articles
"no single topic was represented more than the college, university
and school setting" (p. 29). Barber, Parkhouse, and Tedrick (1998)
reviewed the JSM from 1991 to 1995 and discovered that almost
three-fourths (74%) of the articles were survey research. Later, results
of a content analysis exploring the first 17 years of JSM concluded an
unequal coverage of content areas continued with a majority (40%) of
research focusing on intercollegiate athletics (Pedersen & Pitts,
2005). Quarterman,
Jackson, Kim, Yoo, Koo, Pruegger, and Han (2006) conducted an
assessment of data analysis statistical techniques used in the journal
and concluded that a person with reasonable understanding of simple
descriptive and elementary statistics would be able to interpret a major
portion of the statistics utilized. Lastly, Kent, Jordan, and Inoue
(2009) reviewed the journal to determine the number and types of
articles appearing during a 10-year time period ending in 2008. The
researchers were curious as to the sampling techniques used and found
nearly 30% of the articles reported using convenience samples. In
addition, "of the 126 articles that did not achieve a 100% response
rate, 69.9% made no attempt to control for nonresponse error or did not
report attempts to control for nonresponse error" (p. 358). The
researchers illustrated the threat of nonresponse error by authors
contributing to articles published in JSM.
Other sport management-related publications have also received
critical examination. Mondello and Pedersen (2003) conducted a content
analysis of the Journal of Sport Economics which included measures
related to authors, gender, sport industry and a number of other
aspects. They found that the highest percentage (20%) of the articles
focused on team performance and payroll. Mowery (2003) reviewed academic
sport organizations conference proceedings from North America, Europe,
Australia, and New Zealand and found disproportionate coverage of
content areas and an apparent lack of research coherence between the
organizations. Gordon and Yoh (2007) investigated the content of the
Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport from 1995-2004 and found that topics
such as sport law education, negligence, and NCAA student-athletes
increased significantly during the last five years of their analysis.
The study also found that gender equity and risk management, which had
constituted a significant portion of the journal overall, showed the
most significant decrease during the same five-year period. Most
recently, the International Journal of Sport Management (IJSM) was
reviewed to assess the statistical data analysis techniques used and
found a majority (71.9%) of research was quantitative in nature
(Quarterman, Hwang, Han, Pitts, Jackson, & Ahn, 2010).
SMQ has also been analyzed and these studies have been focused on
gaining further understanding of the field's body of knowledge.
Similar to the analysis of statistical techniques used to study JSM and
IJSM, Quarterman, Pitts, Jackson, Kim, and Kim (2005) assessed the
techniques used in SMQ from 1992 to 2004. The research aimed to provide
an overview of the statistical methodologies used in the journal. The
study allowed academicians to expound certain strengths and weaknesses
with regard to the future direction of sport marketing analysis. The
authors indicated a wider variety of research methodology and techniques
were needed to advance the growing body of knowledge.
Another study specifically focused on SMQ used content analysis
methodology. Pedersen and Pitts (2001) inspected all articles published
in the SMQ from 1992 to 2000. The authors employed 22 measures in the
analysis and found uneven amounts of coverage for the basic sport
management components, sport industry segments, and different sports.
Also uncovered was an alarming disparity concerning the gender of the
authors, editors, and members of the editorial review board. Although
there were certain areas with disproportionate representation, the
authors noted that the journal had clearly made contributions to the
body of knowledge in sport marketing. The authors concluded their study
by commenting that "the advancement of the discipline requires that
the field of sport management take an inward look at ... scholarly
publications ... to identify what advances have been made and where
improvements might be made" (p. 23). Using Pedersen and Pitts'
(2001) and Pitts and Pedersen's (2005) analyses and recommendations
as guides, the present study was a comprehensive content analysis of the
content of SMQ.
Method
Content analysis was used to critically examine articles published
in SMQ from the inaugural issue of September 1992 (Volume 1, Issue 1)
through the June issue of 2011 (Volume 20, Issue 2). Berg (2007)
explained that content analysis is a "careful, detailed, systematic
examination and interpretation of a particular body of material in an
effort to identify patterns, themes, biases, and meanings" (p.
304). An advantage of using content analysis is that it is an
unobtrusive and nonreactive measurement technique. Another advantage of
this method is that "measurement by coding teams permits reduction
to numbers of large amounts of data that would be logistically
impossible for close qualitative analysis" (Riffe, Lacy, &
Fico, 2005, p. 38). It is also a fluid method that allows analysts to
organize measures to best fit the purpose of their study (Marshall &
Rossman, 2011). A quantitative content analysis approach was taken and
analysis was applied in a deductive manner. The results were frequencies
of preselected categories associated with particular variables (Julien,
2008).
Coders
Two researchers (both doctoral students) independently coded every
issue of SMQ. Analysis of a leading journal in the sport marketing field
was identified as a worthwhile endeavor. Both coders felt well prepared
to examine the content due to extensive time spent emerged in sport
marketing scholarship. Prior to conducting the analysis, the two coders
were assigned the same eight randomly selected issues (10.5% of total
issues) for a pilot study to test the coding system, and determine if
there were any areas of concern. To help minimize coder differences a
systematic procedure for analyzing the articles was developed and
followed by the coders (Riffe, Lacy, & Fico, 2005). When conducting
a pilot study, Kaid and Wadsworth (1989) suggest a subsample of
"5-7 percent of the total" (p. 964) as being sufficient for
assessing reliability. The coders' lowest percentage of agreement
for all measures was 83%. Next, Cohen's kappa statistic was
calculated. Cohen's kappa is a popular index for measuring
chance-corrected agreement between two observers analyzing nominal data
(Berry & Mielke, 1988; Zwick, 1988; Riffe, Lacy, & Fico, 2005).
Fleiss (1981) suggested that scores over .75 be viewed as excellent.
Through the use of Cohen's Kappa all categorical calculations
scored above the .75 threshold. Similar to Pedersen and Pitts (2001) and
Pitts and Pedersen's (2005) previous results, the high reliability
percentages were understandable "as most of the material coded was
manifest in nature" (Pedersen & Pitts, 2001, p. 8). The same
coders who performed the pilot study were used in the final coding
process. The high agreement numbers showed that the coders had become
familiar with the coding process and variables used in the content
analysis. The remaining 68 issues were then divided up evenly, 34 issues
each, and analyzed by the two coders.
It was also important to establish validity as it was
"necessary to determine if a study's methods produce the
desired information" (Pitts & Pedersen, 2005, p. 39). Face
validity was established by using models and categories that had been
previously used in performing content analysis on SMQ. Using established
models such as Pedersen, Parks, Quarterman, and Thibault's (2011)
Sport Industry Segments and Pitts and Stotlar's (2007) Sport
Marketing Management Components, measurement categories were clearly
defined and easily understood by both coders.
The study involved a descriptive analysis of the 76 issues over the
20-year history of the journal. The categories and measures used were
modified from previous research of Pedersen and Pitts (2001) and Pitts
and Pedersen (2005), who had previously performed content analyses on
the JSM and SMQ. The following section describes each category.
Categories
Only peer-reviewed research articles were included in the analysis.
The number of articles in each issue, along with length, was examined.
Additional departmental sections such as sport marketing and the law,
book reviews, case studies, and the Industry Insider were not included.
Authorship measures looked at gender, institutional affiliation,
location, and author credit (number of authors per paper and in what
order). Tabulations of these measures allowed for a better understanding
of the make-up of those contributing to SMQ. Editorial positions were
also analyzed including editor, associate editor, guest editor, section
editor, and editorial board members (reviewers). These positions were
measured by number, gender, and type of editorial position.
Investigation of this information was intended to provide a better
understanding of the leadership and decision makers connected with SMQ.
In order to gain a better understanding of the research methods
used, journal categories were established to determine the category of
research and the type of research methodology employed. A basic
description for the categories of research was used, coding the articles
as primarily quantitative or qualitative. Articles that used relatively
equal amounts of qualitative and quantitative methodology were coded as
mixed methods. The gender focus of each article was also studied to
determine whether it was male, female, neither, or both. Articles were
categorized into one of the four measures based on the gender focal
point.
Pitts and Stotlar's (2007) Sport Marketing Components
categories formed the framework for analyzing the sport marketing
components addressed during the 20-year history of the journal. These
components included: consumer analysis of spectators, research,
marketing management strategies, marketing management evaluation,
consumer segment, place, promotion, analysis of participants, analysis
of participants and spectators, industry segment, product, and price.
Gaining an understanding of which sport marketing components were
researched illuminated areas receiving the greatest attention as well as
highlighting areas needing more consideration.
To identify which sport industry segments were most often studied,
the sport industry model designed by Pedersen et al. (2011) was
utilized. Industry categories included in this model were: sport
marketing, professional sport, intercollegiate athletics, sport
communication, international sport, event and facility management,
participant sport, sport tourism, campus recreation, management and
marketing agencies, health promotion, and other.
Results
Articles
In total, 76 issues and 346 articles were included in the content
analysis covering 20 years (Volumes 1:1-20:2) of Sport Marketing
Quarterly. To provide a comprehensive overview of SMQ's content,
the original eight issues used in the pilot study were included in the
final analysis totals. The first issue of the journal was released in
September 1992. In the inaugural year only two issues were published. As
of 1993, SMQ has been published four times per year. The average number
of articles published per year was 17.3, with each issue containing an
average of 4.5 research articles. The number of research articles per
issue ranged from three to six. Thirty-four issues (44.7%) contained
five research articles and 29 issues (38.1%) contained four research
articles. The journal also had seven issues (9.2%) with six research
articles and six issues (7.8%) in which only three research articles
were published. The average length of the research articles was 8.95
pages, with articles ranging from 2 to 19 pages. A total of 3,098 pages
dedicated to original research have been produced during the
journal's 20-year span.
Authors
The 76 issues of SMQ contained 346 research articles representing
the work of 439 unique authors. The number of authors for each article
ranged from one to eight. Nearly 90% of the articles were authored by
either one, two, or three authors. A total of 140 (40.4%) articles had
two authors, 89 (26.5%) were collaborations between three authors, and
79 (22.8%) articles were sole authorships. Nine articles (2.8%) had five
contributing authors. The remaining combinations of authorship (i.e.,
six, seven, and eight authors) each occurred one time.
The vast majority of the authors contributing to SMQ were male
(79.1% or 634). Female authors accounted for 20.7% (or 166) of all the
authors, although the gender of two of the authors could not be
identified. Of the 79 articles with one author, 57 (72.2%) were by men
and 22 (27.8%) were by women. Of the 447 secondary authors (those listed
second, third, etc.), 352 (78.7%) were male and 93 were female (20.8%)
while two could not be determined.
There were 14 countries represented by the 439 authors. The
majority of the authors came from the United States (84.7% or 679). The
authors from the United States were from 39 states and the District of
Columbia. The next highest author representation came from Australia
(6.7% or 54) and Canada (3.9% or 31). Canadian authors represented the
provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario. The
remaining non-American authors (4.7% or 38) came from the following
countries: Japan (9), Israel (5), Korea (5), Greece (4), UK (4), Germany
(3), Portugal (3), Spain (2), Netherlands (1), Singapore (1), and France
(1).
Authors were also placed into one of six categories to describe
affiliation. Authors claiming academic institution affiliations were the
most represented (82.5% or 662), followed by graduate students (10.2% or
82). Consulting firms (3.0% or 24) and sport organizations (2.5% or 20)
were other categories included, along with public entities (0.9% or 7)
and unknown (0.6% or 5).
Editors
The content analysis determined the gender make-up of the editors,
associate editors, section editors, and review board members. Of the 76
issues analyzed in this study, a total of 92 editor opportunities
existed. The majority, 80.4% (74), of those opportunities were filled by
males, including 16 issues that had two male co-editors. Female editors
accounted for 19.6% (18) of the editorial opportunities. There have been
55 associate editor opportunities over the course of SMQ's history.
Over half of the journal's associate editor opportunities (60.0% or
33) have been female, and the remaining 40.0% (22) have been male. A
total of 19 issues did not have associate editors while four issues had
two associate editors. Section editors have been listed 212 times during
the 20-year history of SMQ. Most section editors 173 (81.6%) were male,
while 39 (18.4%) were female. Three different issues have used guest
editors. Six guest editors total have contributed to SMQ, four of which
have been male and two of which were female. A combined total of 1,600
opportunities were available for reviewers. On average, each issue had
14.2 male reviewers and 6.8 female reviewers. The number of male
reviewers per issue ranged from 7 to 27 while female reviewers ranged
from 0 to 11. Again, the majority (67.6% or 1,082) of the reviewers were
male and 518 (32.4%) were female.
Research Method Used
The 346 research articles were analyzed based on methodology used.
Over half of the articles (61.3% or 212) were categorized as using
quantitative methods while 35.8% (124) were labeled as using qualitative
methods. Ten articles (2.9%) used relatively equal amounts qualitative
and quantitative methods and were labeled mixed methodology.
The highest percentage of quantitative articles used were
descriptive (26.4%), factor analysis (16.5%) and t-test and ANOVA
(14.6%). Other quantitative methodology used in SMQ included: regression
(26), MANOVA (23), chi-square (17), "other" (16), correlation
(6), and ANCOVA (2). Descriptive research accounted for 59.7% (74
articles) of the qualitative research appearing in the journal. Other
qualitative methods used were: theoretical (25), interview (9),
historical (8), focus group (4) and observational (4).
Sport Marketing Components
Sport marketing components outlined in the Pitts and Stotlar Sport
Marketing Management Components (2007) were used to examine the research
article contents. At least one article was labeled under each of the
sport marketing components described in the aforementioned model.
Articles devoted to analysis of spectators (33.2% or 115) had the
highest representation followed by 88 (25.4%) articles focused on
marketing research. Fifty (14.5%) research articles analyzed marketing
management strategies and 35 (10.1%) focused on marketing management
evaluation. The remaining articles concentrated on the following sport
marketing components: consumer segments (19 articles), promotions (8),
place (8), analysis of participants (6), industry segmentation (5),
analysis of spectators and participants (5), product (4), company
mission (2) and price (1).
Sport Industry Segments
Each article was examined to identify which segments of the sport
industry were in SMQ coverage over the 20-year history. Pedersen et
al.'s (2011) Sport Industry Segments were used for the analysis.
Sports medicine was the only industry segment not represented.
Sport marketing was the segment most often represented in SMQ,
having 136 (39.3%) of the 346 total articles. Another 148 articles were
represented by professional sport (25.5% or 88) and intercollegiate
sport (17.3% or 60). The remaining industry segments examined were:
sport communication (15 articles), international sport (13), sport event
and facility management (10), participant sport (8), other (7), sport
tourism (5), campus recreation (2), management and marketing agencies
(1), and health promotion (1).
The coders also looked at the particular sport focus of each
article. The majority of articles focused on multiple sports (209
articles or 60.4%). Football (7.8% or 27) and basketball (7.2% or 25)
were the next most frequently addressed sports. The remaining sports
appearing in the journal included: golf (15 articles), baseball (13),
Olympics (11), soccer (11), auto-racing (9), hockey (7), action sports
(6), tennis (5), wrestling (3), horse-racing (2), mixed martial arts
(2), and the Gay Games (1).
Gender Focus of Articles
Articles were examined to see the degree to which they had an
identifiable gender focus in the content. If an article concentrated on
a male sport, such as the NFL, it was recorded as a male-focused
article; likewise if a sport centered on females, such as the WNBA, it
was labeled as a female-focused article. Articles that did not have an
identifiable gender focus as well as articles which focused on both
genders were categorized and placed into distinct separate categories.
Over two-thirds of the articles (68.2% or 236) had no identifiable
gender focus. Articles which had a male gender focus accounted for 15.6%
(54 articles) while 7.8% (27 articles) focused on females. The remaining
29 articles (8.4%) were focused on both genders.
Discussion
In their 2001 study, Pedersen and Pitts called for their content
analysis to be replicated in the future and the results compared with
their findings. The current study was conducted in response to the 2001
call for replication. While the findings of the current study show
progress has been made in certain areas highlighted in their analysis,
the study's findings also reveal a need for continued efforts to be
made to improve the breadth and depth of SMQ. This content analysis has
revealed the journal has contributed 346 research articles to sport
marketing literature and provide an outlet for 439 authors to
disseminate their work. Without question the journal has made a
significant contribution to the field during its 20-year history. The
following suggestions were designed to assist the journal in addressing
certain areas that are in need of attention as well as provide support
for areas where improvement has already begun.
Much of our findings support those uncovered by Pedersen and Pitts
(2001) that showed an unequal coverage of basic sport marketing
components and industry segments. Nearly three-fourths of the articles
focused on the analysis of spectators, marketing research and marketing
management strategies. More than 80% of the industry segments
concentrated on sport marketing, professional sport, and intercollegiate
athletics. It is logical for a journal devoted to sport marketing
research to have a large percentage of articles centered on these areas;
however, sport marketing researchers should be aware that more
consideration needs to be given to other aspects of sport marketing.
There remains a need for current and future researchers to expand the
scope of research topics to allow for a deeper understanding of the
sport marketing field. It has been suggested that special issues be
commissioned to focus on components, industry segments, and sport
businesses that have received little or no attention and although there
have been a few, it would be advantageous for authors to consider
increasing the frequency of these publications (Pedersen & Pitts,
2001).
A greater variety of research designs and statistical analyses have
started to occur since Pedersen and Pitts (2001) conducted their review.
The amount of quantitative based articles published in the journal has
increased as well as the selection of methods employed. Although
descriptive measures continue to be the most often employed means of
research, a greater variety of both qualitative and quantitative
research methodology has provided a more thorough examination for
selected sport marketing issues. To the contrary, the increased number
of quantitative-based articles has come at the expense of a decreasing
number of conceptual articles. Noting this fact, researchers should
continue to be conscious of using a wide range of research methodologies
to expand our grasp of sport marketing knowledge.
The gender percentage of contributing authors has unfortunately
made little progress since Pedersen and Pitts' (2001) content
analysis ten years ago. In fact, the percentage of male authors has
actually increased by 1%. Pedersen and Pitts (2001) noted that a journal
has no control over the demographics of submitting authors but did
caution such a discrepancy does not reflect well in light of
today's emphasis on diversity, and the current authors agree.
Diversity also needs to be addressed with an emphasis made to increase
the number of international authors, which currently only account for
roughly 16% of the contributors. Sport is a global enterprise and a
journal devoted to publishing marketing research needs to reflect this
scope by having a larger contribution from international authors.
An area over which SMQ decision makers do have direct control are
editorial positions, which have shown evidence of positive change within
the past ten years. During the first half of the journal's
existence there were no female editors--a combined total of 92 editorial
opportunities were all filled by men (Pedersen & Pitts, 2001).
However, more recently editorial positions have been filled by women.
Other editorial posts--including associate editor, section editor, and
editorial review members--have all shown significant increases in female
representation. Pedersen and Pitts (2001) noted in their content
analysis that "SMQ has a long way to go to achieve gender equity in
relation to its editorial and review board positions" (p. 22).
Significant increases have been made with regard to female
representation in SMQ's editorial ranks, yet efforts need to
continue to ensure both genders have an opportunity to contribute to the
decision making processes of the journal.
Limitations and Future Studies
It is important to recognize the limitations in this study. The
current study only focused on empirically based research articles and
did not analyze other important sections of the journal such as case
studies, sport marketing and the law, and the Industry Insider. These
sections offer unique perspectives on the state of sport marketing and
should be examined in future studies. Also, the current study compared
findings to a previous content analysis of Sport Marketing Quarterly but
did not compare results with other sport-related academic journals. It
would be prudent to weigh the findings of the current study with other
comparable sport-related journals to gauge strengths and weaknesses as
well as SMQ's overall contribution to the sport management
discipline.
Future studies examining SMQ could determine additional categories
that should be included to more accurately reflect the full depth and
scope of the scholarly contributions. As new marketing and sport trends
continue to emerge, it is important to develop categories of
investigation that reflect these additions in the marketplace. Another
possibility for future research would also be to examine the cover art
of SMQ to see how these images echo the content of the journal and
diversity of the sport landscape. Lastly, more detailed analysis
concerning specific aspects of the content included in SMQ, such as
sampling techniques and statistical measures employed, are warranted.
Conclusion
When SMQ debuted 20 years ago, the intent was to strengthen sport
and develop a body of knowledge in the field of sport marketing (Branch,
2002). The findings from the current study support that the journal has
achieved this goal during the initial 20 years of publication. Still,
efforts are needed to expand the breadth of content. For example, few
studies have focused on marketing to sport participants, despite
evidence that this area has grown dramatically in the past 20 years. To
remain relevant, the scope of sport marketing research must also expand
beyond the focus on fans/sport spectators and US-based sport. Although
the findings show areas in which the journal needs to improve to reflect
the many aspects of the sport marketing industry, it appears that
efforts are in place to continue to make Sport Marketing Quarterly a
highly respected outlet for publication within the sport management
discipline.
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Ted B. Peetz is a doctoral student in Sport Education Leadership at
the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His research interests include
sport consumer behavior and the use and effectiveness of athlete
endorsers.
Lamar Reams is a doctoral student in the Sport Administration
Program at the University of Northern Colorado. His research interests
include marketing and the consumer behavior of combat sports fans.
Table 1.
Countries of Authors in Sport Marketing Quarterly
Country of Author f P
United States 679 84.7%
Australia 54 6.7%
Canada 31 3.9%
Japan 9 1.1%
Israel 5 0.6%
Korea 5 0.6%
Greece 4 0.5%
United Kingdom 4 0.5%
Germany 3 0.4%
Portugal 3 0.4%
Spain 2 0.3%
Netherlands 1 0.1%
Singapore 1 0.1%
France 1 0.1%
Total 802
Table 2.
Editors
Editor Position f P Total
Editor 92
Male 74 80.4%
Female 18 19.6%
Associate Editor 55
Male 22 40%
Female 33 60%
Section Editor 212
Male 173 81.6%
Female 39 18.4%
Guest Editor 6
Male 4 66.7%
Female 2 33.3%
Reviewer 1,600
Male 1,082 67.6%
Female 518 32.4%
Table 3.
Research method
Research Method f % of total % of type of research
Quantitative 212 61.3%
Descriptive 56 16.2% 26.4%
Factor Analysis 35 10.1% 16.5%
t-test and ANOVA 31 9.0% 14.6%
Regression 26 7.5% 12.3%
MANOVA 23 6.6% 10.8%
Chi-Square 17 4.9% 8.0%
Other 16 4.6% 7.5%
Correlation 6 1.7% 2.8%
ANCOVA 2 0.6% 0.9%
Qualitative 124 35.8%
Descriptive 74 21.4% 59.7%
Theoretical 25 7.2% 20.2%
Interview 9 2.6% 7.3%
Historical 8 2.3% 6.4%
Focus 4 1.2% 3.2%
Observational 4 1.2% 3.2%
Mixed Method 10 2.9%
Total 346
Note: Percentages may not equal 100% due to rounding.
Table 4.
Sport marketing components
Component f p
Analysis of Spectators 115 33.2%
Marketing Research 88 25.4%
Marketing Management Strategies 50 14.5%
Marketing Management Evaluation 35 10.1%
Consumer Segments 19 5.5%
Promotions 8 2.3%
Place 8 2.3%
Analysis of Participants 6 1.7%
Industry Segmentation 5 1.4%
Analysis of Spectators and Participants 5 1.4%
Product 4 1.2%
Company Mission 2 0.6%
Price 1 0.3%
Total 346
Adapted from Fundamentals of Sport Marketing (3rd ed.), Pitts &
Stotlar (2007).
Note: Percentages may not equal 100% due to rounding.
Table 5.
Sport business industry segment
Segment f p
Sport Marketing 136 39.3%
Professional Sport 88 25.4%
Intercollegiate Sport 60 17.3%
Sport Communications 15 4.3%
International Sport 13 3.8%
Sport Event and Facility Management 10 2.9%
Participant Sport 8 2.3%
Other 7 2.0%
Sport Tourism 5 1.4%
Campus Recreation 2 0.6%
Management and Marketing Agencies 1 0.3%
Health Promotion 1 0.3%
Total 346
Adapted from Contemporary Sport Management (4th ed.), Pedersen, Parks,
Quarterman, & Thibault (2011).
Note: Percentages may not equal 100% due to rounding.