Guest Editors
- Dr. Antonio S. Williams, Indiana University @ Bloomington
- Dr. Ann Pegoraro, University of Guelph
- Dr. Natasha Brison, Texas A&M University
Motivation and Aim of the Special Issue
On May 25 2020, the day George Floyd was murdered, the world experienced a racial awakening and the sports world responded in an unprecedented fashion with athletes and organizations standing together in solidarity to show support for humanity under the banner of social justice. In a similar fashion we as sport academicians have an opportunity to highlight a voice that has been historically left out of sport marketing research; to date, there is a dearth of research examining diversity and inclusion in sport marketing, and sport marketing research by and large has failed to include the perspective of underrepresented minority groups in the extant literature. It is certainly not due to the lack of significant contributions of these groups to the sport industry.
As suggested by Brown (2020), Black Americans are the most highly identified, engaged and passionate fan base, and much more research is needed to gain an understanding of their motivations and consumption behaviors. Women, LGBTQ+ and individuals with disabilities also are often absent from study populations and limited research to date has focused on intersectional identities within sport marketing. Our research must continue to advance the body of knowledge as well as serve the communities and industry from which our research is derived. To this end, the objective of this International Journal of Sport Marketing and Sponsorship special issue is to bring together scholarship that seeks to advance our collective knowledge on diversity and inclusion in sport marketing. We acknowledge that diversity may include a myriad of characteristics that distinguish individuals and groups of people. However, this special edition focuses on diversity as it pertains to the following equity seeking groups:
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- Race
- Ethnicity
- Gender
- Sexual orientation
- Physical ability
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We particularly encourage researchers who identify as Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) or other underrepresented minorities groups (e.g., women, LGBTQ+) to consider submitting their research. We are also committed to working with accepted authors to promote their work through academic and non-academic outlets.
Topics of Interest
We are seeking high-quality papers with an original perspective and advanced thinking in diversity, equity and inclusion in sport marketing. Topics of interest of the special issue include, but are not limited to, the following:
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- Marketing to diverse populations
- Identity and sport marketing
- Issues related to Title IX
- Diversity and market segmentation
- Transgender issues in sport marketing
- Diverse samples in sport marketing research
- Cause-related marketing
- Fandom in underrepresented groups
- Fan perceptions of social justice initiatives
- Black fandom
- Inclusion and representation in sport marketing
- Sonic branding (music) and culture in sport marketing
- Inclusion in sport advertising
- Brand management
- Economic discrimination related to name, image and likeness.
- Performative measures of social justice initiatives
- Brand image and portrayal of women and BIPOC individuals (e.g. athletes, fans,) in sport marketing
- Fan imagery and perception, fan created content
- Brand positioning
- Diversity in licensing and merchandise
- Special Olympics and sport marketing
- Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and sport marketing
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