Interpreting sports events from a resource-based view perspective

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims at understanding how professional sports events compete with each other to attract spectators, sponsors and media coverage, by referring to the resource-based view (RBV) theory, which interprets firms as a bundle of idiosyncratic resources and capabilities. Specifically, the authors aim to identify the value-creating resources that support event success in the long run.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a literature review on RBV and sports events, which provided the analytic categories used for on a cross-case analysis of popular cycling events held in Italy.FindingsEach event has different value-creating resources, depending on its governance model. Specifically, organisational knowledge accumulated over time by a stable event promoter/organiser enables an understanding of stakeholders’ needs and leads to a competitive advantage. As for events with temporary organising committees, event reputation is decisive to their long-term success. Here, event promoters play a key role in managing reputation over time, i.e., properly selecting host countries, balancing their cultural differences and supporting their capacity to produce long-term benefits.Originality/valueSports events may be leveraged within place-branding strategies to increase the attractiveness and level of socio-economic development of a destination. It is thus important to understand the competitive dynamics among sports events. The existing studies have focused on event organisers while underestimating the contribution of sports organisations and/or private companies that promote sport events. This study adopts a broad perspective that takes account of both promoters and organisers in order to verify whether and how the governance model affects the resources relevant to the event’s success.