An evaluation of the image impact of the 2012 Olympic Games: domestic pre-Games perceptions

An evaluation of the image impact of the 2012 Olympic Games: domestic pre-Games perception

Funding and sponsorship: the commercial impact of the 2012 London Olympic Games — some considerations

Since successfully gaining host city status for the Olympics in 2012, London’s ability to accommodate such an event has been the subject of much debate in the media. A significant part of their attention has focused upon the ever-increasing costs to host and stage the Games in London (BBC News, 2008a, 2008b; BBC Sport, 2007; Booth, 2008; Merrick, 2008; Neenan, 2008). The aim of this article is to discuss the commercial relationships between Olympic sponsors, the IOC and the bodies responsible for delivering London 2012 Olympic Games and to highlight any ethical implications emerging. The focus will be on the contrasting tensions between world-wide and domestic sponsorship for the Olympics. For example, the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984 changed the way in which Olympic sponsorship was conducted and the way in which Olympic sponsorship programmes have evolved since then. The article will then examine some domestic issues regarding the funding required to pay for the 2012 London Games and the use of National Lottery money towards this. Ethical considerations between the commercialization of the Olympics Games and the Olympic Movement are also raised as these may conflict with concerns for public health and the Olympic Ideal itself, now seemingly being underwritten and dependant upon the whims of commercial sponsorship

Exploring the domestic relationship between mega-events and destination image: The image impact of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games for the city of London

Contemporarily, the hosting of mega-sport-events (MSEs) is one of several strategies used by cities and governments to bring about improvements in a place’s image and recognition. With that in mind, the overall aim of this study, underpinned by theoretical-methodological social representation theory, was to evaluate the domestic image impact of hosting the 2012 Summer Olympic Games for the city of London, and in doing so, whether any image-transfer (or co-branding) processes occurred between the place and event. In addition to adding to the emergent body of work aimed at using social representation theory to measure place image, the authors are among the first to employ a matched-sample research approach to measuring the impact of an MSE on the domestic perceptions of the host. Employing an abductive research strategy, a survey was carried out among the domestic English population (n=156) to identify cognitive and affective image components, in the form of social representations, of London as a city (or its place brand), the Olympics as a MSE, and the 2012 Games as a one-off event. The content and the structure of the pre-and post-event social representations were established (using image elements cited by at least 15% of the respondents), analysed (using hierarchical cluster analysis) and then compared (within- and between items) to determine whether any changes or image transfer occurred. The findings of this research reveal that the pre-event concerns regarding the hosting of the London 2012 Olympics and the potential of the event to negatively impact the city’s pre-established image, were, to a degree, fulfilled. Conversely, from an event perspective, respondents perceived the Olympics as a somewhat successful enterprise

Supporter engagement through social media: a case study of Liverpool Football Club

Supporter engagement through social media: a case study of Liverpool Football Clu

Exploring the effect of ‘hallmark’ sporting events on place image: A case study of Ironman Wales [Abstract]

Exploring the effect of ‘hallmark’ sporting events on place image: A case study of Ironman Wales [Abstract

Emerging third-sector sports organisations and navigating uncertainty in an ‘era of austerity’: a single ethnographic case study from Liverpool

There have been a number of recent policies in the UK which have attempted to capitalise on the benefits that sport potentially offers for health and wellbeing. These are, however, set against a somewhat incongruous backdrop of reductions in opportunities to participate, resulting from the ongoing constraints on public spending associated with austerity. In response to these constraints, an increasing number of third sector sports organisations (TSSOs) have emerged to fill some of the gaps left by the public services that local authorities are no longer able deliver. This research draws on the experiences of one of those TSSOs, Target Football, a Community Interest Company located in Princes Park, Liverpool, one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the UK. Drawing upon six-years of ethnographic research, and a posteriori semi-structured interviews, this paper examines the ways in which this TSSO has navigated – and continues to navigate – the contextual uncertainty arising from austerity, to sustain sports provision inn an environment where opportunities have declined in recent years. Underpinned by stakeholder theory, this research examines the relationships that exist between organisations and their stakeholders, and frames these in relation to power, legitimacy, and urgency. The findings provide insight into the significant obstacles that challenge the survival of TSSOs in the context of a scarcity of resources. From a more practical perspective, these findings also provide critical insight into David Cameron’s aspiration ‘to do more with less’

An evaluation of the domestic pre-event social representations of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games

An evaluation of the domestic pre-event social representations of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Game

Football fan relationships with their national associations: a trans-European perspective

Football fan relationships with their national associations: a trans-European perspectiv

Appetite for or resistance to consumption relationships? A trans-European perspective on the marketization of football fan relationships

Although most sport organisations are encouraged to better manage the relationships they maintain with fans, little is still known about the types of relationships that fans want to establish with sport organisations. Also, as most suggested management and marketing practices come from professional sport organisations and European contexts, it is questionable whether they can apply to all sports organisations, and whether they are received in the same way by diverse fans from various socio-cultural contexts. Thus, the study aimed to explore football fans’ relational expectations towards their national football association across Europe and attitudes towards this marketization. Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with several casual and die-hard fans from three European countries chosen for their heterogeneity: Armenia, Lithuania and England. Overall, and possibly in contradiction with numerous publications dealing with club football, the fans from the three countries did not express clear opposition or resistance towards the marketization of their relationships towards their national teams and associations. English fans seemed quite neutral or indifferent although Armenian and Lithuanian fans presented many characteristics of brandom demonstrating an appetite for this marketization

Marketization of football fan relationships in Europe: appetence, indifference or resistance?

Marketization of football fan relationships in Europe: appetence, indifference or resistance