Big Leagues
The Sporting Press Box: The Similarities and Differences Over Sports, Cultures, and Continents
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jessie Wilkie
As always in sports journalism there are ethical questions of embedding and influence when journalists gain access to stadiums and games. The Press Box is a small microcosm of sports journalists all working towards the same goal on the same content. This paper compares press boxes from around the world through the team/club communications, access, inclusivity, amenities, cultural norms and statistics delivery. Down in Australia the Melbourne Cricket Club runs out of one of the largest stadiums in the world. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) seats 100,024 people and hosts a multitude of sports and other cultural events. It contains the Australian National Sports Museum, a library, a restaurant, a specific member wing and countless venues available for hire. Over in the USA, the Pittsburgh Pirates are one of the longest-lasting teams within the juggernaut of Major League Baseball. Their home, PNC Park, is consistently rated as one of the best Baseball parks in the US, but what is it like from the Press Box? And how does it compare to other sports and other boxes. This study is a taster for an upcoming book proposal on sporting press boxes. By focusing on different clubs and how their press box operates for the sporting journalists (including embedded, floating, and internal journalists) this book will be aiming to look at a whole range of sports and countries to create a professional account of sporting press boxes around the world. It will be an invaluable resource for all things sporting media.
Qualitative Exploration of Organizational Structure Across the Top Five Football Leagues: Exploring Vertical and Horizontal Management
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ahmad Sheyubov
Over the last three decades, football has experienced a remarkable surge in popularity, marked by an expanding fan base, heightened stakeholder interest, and increased financial circulation. This study centres on the football clubs of the top five European countries—England, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France—acknowledging their pivotal role in revenue generation, fan engagement, and sporting achievements. The research employs a semi-structured interview method, complemented significantly by secondary data analysis. Key focus areas include unravelling the organizational structure of these football clubs, delving into organizational effectiveness, and exploring the interplay between financial and sporting performance. Notably, the study aims to identify prevalent vertical and horizontal management styles within these top-tier football leagues. Moreover, it seeks to underscore the importance of communication among various facets of the organization, including staff members, youth academy participants, and technical staff. By addressing these aspects, the research endeavours to provide valuable insights into the intricate organizational dynamics of elite football clubs within the top European leagues.
Decentralizing Sports -the Potential of DAOs for Inclusive Governance in Sports Societies: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Blockchain Applications in Sports Management
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Davide Carmelo Calderone
This research explores the potential use of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) for popular shareholding and the governance of sports societies. It focuses particularly on the legal aspects regulating DAOs, on the technological architecture and the related sociological aspects. Moreover, the diffusion of popular shareholding in various geographical areas and the underlying legal foundations are observed. The primary objective is to identify the benefits that the adoption of DAOs could allow, innovating the sector of popular shareholding, ensuring decentralization, democratization, and active involvement of fans in governance. Furthermore, it will be important to identify the legal frameworks of DAOs in the absence of specific regulations, such as in the case of the European MICA regulation, and any technological barriers that could limit adoption. The present study adopts a qualitative methodological approach, analyzing documents, regulations, and case studies to explore the use of DAOs in popular shareholding of sports societies. Through content analysis and the comparison of different regulations and governance practices, it aims to outline the potentials and legal challenges of such integration. This pioneering study aspires to demonstrate how a blockchain-based solution, such as DAOs, can be functional even beyond strictly economic and financial boundaries. It also aims to highlight how the utility of DAOs can extend to the pursuit of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16, on fair and inclusive governance. It intends to show that the implementation of DAOs in the sports sector can offer an innovative model of fair and inclusive governance, replicable in other sectors.
