Powerplay revisited – outlining the future of sport marketing research

Purpose This study aims to use feedback from leading scholars in the field to provide direction for future sport marketing studies. Design/methodology/approach Responses from 22 prominent sport marketing scholars were gathered, and a framework was developed to inform future research. Findings The authors identified seven core focal areas that will drive future sport marketing research: the role of sport in society, changing technological landscape, changing consumer demographics, industry relevance, brand, fan experience and engagement and research methods. Building upon these areas, this study developed a unifying framework that delineates three external forces shaping how key stakeholders engage with the sport marketing landscape. Research limitations/implications First, the inclusion criteria of sport marketing experts may have omitted relevant voices from the list of experts. This study’s sample features highly cited sport marketing authors within select journals and a specific timeframe but does not include all sport marketing researchers. Moreover, 17 contacted thought leaders did not respond to the authors’ request to provide commentary. Second, the timing of the initial data collection in 2020 may have influenced the salience of pandemic-centric comments. This study addressed this limitation by contacting the respondents again in 2024 to avoid bias that pandemic-related lockdowns may have introduced. Interestingly, many of the respondents already predicted the digitalization innovation of sport organizations that was triggered by the pandemic in 2020 and reaffirmed their perspective in 2024. Third, identified themes reflect the findings of collected data and other cutting-edge sport marketing research topics may be worth exploring. Practical implications The applied nature of the sports marketing field and its strong ties to actual practice, at times, is marginalized by some in academia. One of the seven themes focuses specifically on industry relevance, highlighting areas for researchers to be helpful with practice. The goal is to be relevant to the sport industry and academia simultaneously. Social implications Role of sport in society is the first of the seven themes explored in the manuscript. Just as players have lives off the field, sport organizations should do more beyond the game day event. This research examines societal value off the field, environmental impact of sports organizations and fairness in sport. Originality/value By drawing upon insights from leading sport marketing scholars, this study advances the discourse by offering a novel framework that consolidates and clarifies the future direction of research in the field. The principal contribution lies in presenting a coherent lens through which diverse sport marketing inquiries can be integrated and guided, ultimately helping both scholars and practitioners navigate and shape the evolution of sport marketing.