Journal of New Studies in Sport Management (JNSSM)

The purpose of the present study was to identify barriers to implementing innovation in sports clubs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research approach was mixed. In the qualitative part, interviews with 13 owners of sports clubs were conducted. The statistical sample in the quantitative part, based on Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), included 200 sports club owners in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Iran. The results showed that barriers to implementing innovation in sports clubs were individual, structural, and environmental obstacles. Considering the entrepreneurial ecosystem and all stakeholders involved in the sports community, providing favorable conditions such as intellectual property protection, financial support, research, and development support, as well as improving access to financial capital, can pave the way for the creation and implementation of sports innovations in clubs, especially in crises. 

Today, the sports industry is known through modern technology, especially in the field of manufacturing sports tools and equipment. The present study uses correlation and applied methodology, which was done in the field using Structural Equations Modeling (SEM). The statistical population included producers of sports products, of which 320 producers from Iran were considered through available sampling. Morris (2002) Standard Entrepreneurial Marketing Questionnaire, Moghimi Market Orientation (2011), Noh and Fitzsimmons Information Technology (1999), and Azizi (2011) Financial Performance Questionnaire were used to collect data. Finally, 292 questionnaires were received physically and electronically. The results showed that entrepreneurial marketing and market orientation had a direct and indirect effect (mediated by technology) on financial performance and they significantly affected the financial performance. Finally, the model had the goodness of fit. In general, manufacturers who adopted a combination of entrepreneurial marketing strategy and information technology had better and more rational financial performance by taking advantage of attractive entrepreneurial opportunities. According to the research results, it is suggested that manufacturers provide the consumers with superior value by paying attention to the market orientation and innovation, to enable the company to achieve a competitive advantage.

The present study is implemented to identify indicators and to provide an optimal evaluation method in recreational-sports pools. The present study is considered practical in purpose, and survey in collecting data. Firstly, by bibliometric research and five professional experts’ interviews, 91 indicators were identified for evaluating recreational-sports pools. Secondly, in terms of 4 components or perspectives in the Balanced Scorecard, 57 indicators were established (internal processes (10 indicators), customer (22 indicators), growth and learning (19 indicators), and financial (6 indicators)), from focal group’s output which was comprised of 4 prominent professors. The structure was confirmed based on 333 individuals’ opinions in the statistical population by employing factor analysis. In order to rate the pools studied, the gray clustering analysis method was applied followed by the structure of the balanced scorecard confirmed. Principally, 20 homogenous recreational-sports pools were investigated in 15 city regions and boundaries of provinces in Isfahan, Sepahan Shahr, and Baharestan. Based on data analysis and rating of each case study, Araman, Absar, Enghelab, Morvarid, and Golsar pools were ranked first to fifth, respectively. Furthermore, the main purpose of the present study based on calculated indicators is to propose a practical method to provide an accurate evaluation of sports pools. 

This descriptive research was conducted using the systematic review method to investigate the position of digital leisure in Iran. The statistical population of this study consisted of all the theses, dissertations, and articles published in Iran. After searching, screening, and the qualitative evaluation of the research studies, 283 research were selected for the study. A researcher-developed data collection form was used to review the studies. The results indicate that the process of the production and publication of research studies in the area of digital leisure goes back to 2001, and it has been in progress since then. 84% of these research studies were conducted in the 2010s. The geographical distribution of these studies includes 25 provinces across Iran. 66% were journal articles and the remaining 34% were in the form of theses. 77% of the research studies adopted the quantitative approach, while 23% were qualitative and mixed-method studies. The analysis and the interpretation of the findings showed that a large body of theoretical literature and the main concepts used in the research emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of digital leisure and its special application in sports, education, culture, social sciences, economy, entertainment, and psychology. As a result, all three groups of managers, producers, and researchers must approach this area more than ever before from an applied perspective for the proper utilization of the cultural, economic, educational, and athletic aspects of digital leisure.

Health and well-being have become significant dimensions of urban sustainability, particularly in countries with rapid urbanization. Community sports affect the health and vitality of society's population. Although planning for city management has existed throughout history, an integrated structure of the role of sports in urban planning to improve the quality of life and health of citizens has not yet been defined. This study aims to present a community sports planning program in metropolitan areas of Iran. The research was qualitative, and was done using the grounded theory approach based on the systematic approach of Strauss and Corbin (1998). 13 participants were purposefully selected from experts in the field of public sports development for interviewing. The final model was based on 6 categories and 36 factors. Gender and infrastructure were the most contextual factors. Cultural and underlying factors were given more attention than casual factors. Among intervening factors, media, monitoring, and evaluation got more emphasis. The categories of infrastructure and planning were mostly emphasized in the strategies section. While, in the model implementation consequences section, cultural and social consequences were mostly emphasized. Through a participatory approach to sports development, metropolitan municipalities can better understand the needs of their citizens. A bottom-up or company-centric approach allows organizers to reconstruct sports presentation models based on each metropolis. 

Given the critical role of sport managers’ behaviors in developing efficient processes in sport settings, the aim of the current study was to provide a model of sports managers’ strategic behavior. The research participants were selected theoretically through a snowball sampling approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with professional sport managers to collect the research data. Grounded Theory (GT) with a Systematic Approach was applied for data analysis. The results of qualitative data analysis from the interview were presented as a paradigm model of strategic behavior of sports managers in the form of six dimensions of the paradigm model, including causal condition, the main phenomenon (strategic behavior of managers), contextual condition, intervening condition, action /interaction strategy, consequences. The categorization based on the relationships between the concepts around the behavior of managers presents the paradigm model of the strategic behavior of sports managers. According to the findings, managers can eliminate many of the strategic barriers in sports organizations by institutionalizing strategic thinking and making decisions based on strategic behavior.