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Sport Management and Marketing by Anthony Pizzo

International Journal of Sport Management, 2019

The purpose of this study was to examine how program directors are creating acceptance for esport... more The purpose of this study was to examine how program directors are creating acceptance for esports within the heavily regulated environment of U.S. colleges and universities, and explore how these strategies, and their efficacy, are influenced by program location (i.e., athletics departments vs. student affairs). The study is guided by the theory of institutional work, with particular emphasis on institutional creation. Through this lens, the analysis focuses on identifying creation strategies tied to esports integration, highlighting unique challenges that facilitate and/or con-strain this process, and exploring differences between different departments (i.e., athletics departments vs. student affairs). The discussion provides theoretical insight on how actors within heavily regulated environments create acceptance for novel activities, and offers practical recommendations for the future development of collegiate esports.

International Journal of Sport Management, 2019

Esports are becoming increasingly popular at U.S. colleges and universities (Jenny, Manning, Keip... more Esports are becoming increasingly popular at U.S. colleges and universities (Jenny, Manning, Keiper, & Olrich, 2017). Currently, collegiate esports programs are spread primarily across two departments (i.e., athletics, student affairs), with athletics often highlighted as their most viable home (Bauer-Wolf, 2019). While athletic departments provide important alignment opportunities for emerging esports programs, they also face complex institutional environments that complicate the integration of novel activities (i.e., esports). Through the lens of institutional creation, the purpose of this study was to understand how key actors within athletic and student affairs departments strategically integrated esports. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 university department directors from athletics (n = 10) and student affairs (n = 6). Findings indicate directors from both athletics and student affairs adopted similar institutional creation strategies that emphasized alignment with traditional sport, but dissimilar challenges related to external regulatory control and stakeholder perceptions. The discussion highlights the theoretical importance of institutional language and provides recommendations for the future management of collegiate esport.

Sport Management Review, 2018

A B S T R A C T Consumer demand for eSport and the growth of organized video game competitions ha... more A B S T R A C T Consumer demand for eSport and the growth of organized video game competitions has generated considerable attention from the sport, event, and entertainment industries. eSport therefore represents a novel and popular area for sport management academics to conduct research, educate students, and service industry. However, despite growth and acceptance by consumers and practitioners, academics debate eSport's position within the domain of sport management, their debates largely concentrated around the question of whether eSport can be classified as sport. In this article, the authors argue for the inclusion of organized eSport events and competitions within sport management vis-à-vis eSport's meeting certain defining criteria of sport in general. eSport's connection to traditional sport and defining characteristics are addressed to support eSport's role as a sport entertainment product recognized by industry as representing a substantial growth opportunity for sport and related organizations. As eSport continues to evolve, practitioners face managerial challenges that are similar to those in traditional sport, particularly in areas of governance and diversity. Sport management academics should embrace the potential of eSport in order to examine this evolution and provide guidance to industry through education and research.

Sport Marketing Quarterly, 2018

eSports, organized video game competitions, are growing in popularity, with top tournaments drawi... more eSports, organized video game competitions, are growing in popularity, with top tournaments drawing crowds of spectators rivaling traditional sporting events. The extent to which eSport operates similarly to traditional sport is vital to developing marketing strategies for the eSport industry and inform academic research on eSport. Prior research examined eSports in isolation from traditional sports, overlooking comparisons to understand the degree to which eSport spectators are motivated similarly to traditional sport spectators. The current study measures widely-used sport consumption motives to examine their influence on eSport spectatorship and consumption behaviors (i.e., game attendance frequency, media usage, and merchandise purchase). Based on spectator motives across one traditional sport and two eSport contexts, current study identifies motives salient to eSport consumption, advances the debate on eSports as sport, and provides actionable strategies for sports marketers to reach eSport spectators.

International Journal of Sport Management, 2019

The purpose of this study was to examine how program directors are creating acceptance for esport... more The purpose of this study was to examine how program directors are creating acceptance for esports within the heavily regulated environment of U.S. colleges and universities, and explore how these strategies, and their efficacy, are influenced by program location (i.e., athletics departments vs. student affairs). The study is guided by the theory of institutional work, with particular emphasis on institutional creation. Through this lens, the analysis focuses on identifying creation strategies tied to esports integration, highlighting unique challenges that facilitate and/or con-strain this process, and exploring differences between different departments (i.e., athletics departments vs. student affairs). The discussion provides theoretical insight on how actors within heavily regulated environments create acceptance for novel activities, and offers practical recommendations for the future development of collegiate esports.

International Journal of Sport Management, 2019

Esports are becoming increasingly popular at U.S. colleges and universities (Jenny, Manning, Keip... more Esports are becoming increasingly popular at U.S. colleges and universities (Jenny, Manning, Keiper, & Olrich, 2017). Currently, collegiate esports programs are spread primarily across two departments (i.e., athletics, student affairs), with athletics often highlighted as their most viable home (Bauer-Wolf, 2019). While athletic departments provide important alignment opportunities for emerging esports programs, they also face complex institutional environments that complicate the integration of novel activities (i.e., esports). Through the lens of institutional creation, the purpose of this study was to understand how key actors within athletic and student affairs departments strategically integrated esports. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 university department directors from athletics (n = 10) and student affairs (n = 6). Findings indicate directors from both athletics and student affairs adopted similar institutional creation strategies that emphasized alignment with traditional sport, but dissimilar challenges related to external regulatory control and stakeholder perceptions. The discussion highlights the theoretical importance of institutional language and provides recommendations for the future management of collegiate esport.

Sport Management Review, 2018

A B S T R A C T Consumer demand for eSport and the growth of organized video game competitions ha... more A B S T R A C T Consumer demand for eSport and the growth of organized video game competitions has generated considerable attention from the sport, event, and entertainment industries. eSport therefore represents a novel and popular area for sport management academics to conduct research, educate students, and service industry. However, despite growth and acceptance by consumers and practitioners, academics debate eSport's position within the domain of sport management, their debates largely concentrated around the question of whether eSport can be classified as sport. In this article, the authors argue for the inclusion of organized eSport events and competitions within sport management vis-à-vis eSport's meeting certain defining criteria of sport in general. eSport's connection to traditional sport and defining characteristics are addressed to support eSport's role as a sport entertainment product recognized by industry as representing a substantial growth opportunity for sport and related organizations. As eSport continues to evolve, practitioners face managerial challenges that are similar to those in traditional sport, particularly in areas of governance and diversity. Sport management academics should embrace the potential of eSport in order to examine this evolution and provide guidance to industry through education and research.

Sport Marketing Quarterly, 2018

eSports, organized video game competitions, are growing in popularity, with top tournaments drawi... more eSports, organized video game competitions, are growing in popularity, with top tournaments drawing crowds of spectators rivaling traditional sporting events. The extent to which eSport operates similarly to traditional sport is vital to developing marketing strategies for the eSport industry and inform academic research on eSport. Prior research examined eSports in isolation from traditional sports, overlooking comparisons to understand the degree to which eSport spectators are motivated similarly to traditional sport spectators. The current study measures widely-used sport consumption motives to examine their influence on eSport spectatorship and consumption behaviors (i.e., game attendance frequency, media usage, and merchandise purchase). Based on spectator motives across one traditional sport and two eSport contexts, current study identifies motives salient to eSport consumption, advances the debate on eSports as sport, and provides actionable strategies for sports marketers to reach eSport spectators.