SPT 501 Final Project: Research Methods in Sports Literature Review

This report provides a comprehensive literature review on research methods in sports management. It begins with an introduction that highlights the increasing intersection of business and sports, emphasizing the importance of ethical considerations. The report delves into specific ethical issues within sports management, such as diversity and pay-for-play, and analyzes the relationship between sports and business, including the use of sports as a marketing tool and the role of business ownership in sports teams. It identifies biases and limitations within the reviewed literature, such as a lack of focus on specific sports and business management issues. The research methodology employed is based on secondary data sources, including journals and websites, to examine the relationship between sports and business management. The report's findings are then related to the research proposal, emphasizing the importance of ethical considerations and secondary research in the research process. The conclusion emphasizes the impact of business activities on sports and the need for cordial relationships between sports and business management while respecting ethical issues.

Running head: RESEARCH METHODS SPORTS
Research Methods Sports
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Ethical issues in sports management..........................................................................................2
Relationship between sports and business.................................................................................3
Bias and limitation of the literature............................................................................................4
Summary of other research........................................................................................................5
Methods used to conduct the research.......................................................................................5
Relation with research proposal.................................................................................................6
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
Reference....................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
In the modern era, development of business has played an important part in the midst
of entertainment as well. According to Harriss and Atkinson (2015), the growth of business in
an economy creates opportunities for enhancement and development of other activities within
a society. For example, in the modern day, sports and activities have been of considerable
interest among businesspersons. According to Harriss, MacSween and Atkinson (2017),
ethical consideration in sports provides for a broader concept about the discipline of the
athletes. The ethical issues related to sports are also considered. The review provides an
analysis of the relationship that business organisations have with sports and the manner in
which the ethical issues associated with it can hamper the growth of the sport teams. The
review indentifies seven such articles that can help in identifying the ethical issues in sports
and develop relationship that exists between sports and business in the modern world.
Ethical issues in sports management
As observed by Simon (2018) ethical consideration is an important part of business as
it helps in guiding an organisation and maintains its resources in a proper manner. In this
case, an analysis can be made about the ethical issues that exist in sports management so that
any type of gap or issue related to business can be understood. At the same time the
relationship between the managers of sports and the business managers are to be identified.
The ethical consideration that is needed to be considered in effective sports management
consists of:
Diversity: In the USA, diversity is one of the biggest issues that are faced in business
organisations as well as in sports. In the modern world, racial discrimination does not take
place. However, in some parts of the world such issues arise that curb the progress of a

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business. In their article, Shank and Lyberger (2014) stated that the business organisations
take into consideration the ethics that are associated with the hiring of people. Recruitment of
athletes needs to be done by keeping in mind every ethical and racial consideration that exists
in conducting business. Thus, diversity is one of the ethical considerations that need to be
undertaken by the managers.
Pay for play: According to Patterson, Wilkins and Painter (2018), it has been seen
that most of the times, the Universities that promote sports activities spent a large fortune in
trying to develop talents. However, due to the interference from the business organisations,
these talented people tend to pay a heavy price so that they can be part of the big leagues. In
the USA, the payment for a shot at competing in the big leagues such as the NFL or NBA
require an excess amount of money to be paid to the business organisations. As observed by
Roberts and Allen (2015) this is mainly to improve the promotion of the sports as well as
allow the talents to continue with their dreams. The relationship that exists between the sports
and business managers can be considered based on the ethical issues that exist.
Relationship between sports and business
Thus, after the analysis of the ethical issues, the relationship between sports and
business can be taken into consideration. According to the article written by Weiss (2014),
one of the relationships that exist is the fact that the sports are considered as an effective
marketing tool. With the help of the sports people, business organisations can promote their
market or product. It has been seen that most sports people in the USA are involved with
providing assistance to the business organisations in terms of promoting a product. As stated
by Crane and Matten (2016) this can be considered as a major positivity for the development
of sports in a society as well as help in the promotion of a business.

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At the same time, another consideration that needs to be considered is the fact that
business organisations need to consider the ethical issues. As seen from the analysis made by
Thayer (2015) it can be said that the ethical considerations that exist in the sports and
business organisation usually consists of identifying any diversity in the business. Diversity
often refers to the discrimination between races that exist particularly in the United States.
Hence, business organisation in association with sports needs to ensure that the ethical rules
in sports in terms of discrimination can be maintained. Therefore, the relationship that exists
consists of identifying the talents within a business so that a proper dimension can be made
for the development of ethics in business. Mitten et al. (2016) is of the opinion that the
analysis focuses on the establishment of a proper business model so that strategies and related
issues within sports can be solved.
It has also been seen that the business management in the USA are involved with the
growth and development of sports. As observed by Shaw and Barry (2015) many times, it has
been seen that business organisations become owners of a sporting club so that a large market
share can be gained. This can be seen in the NBA in which every team is owned by a
business organisation and the players are drafted based on the requirement of the team as well
as the requirement of the business. Hence, the ethical point of pay to play can be applied in
this case as the focus remains on the application of talented individuals for a considerable
sum of money (Sarkar, Hill & Parker, 2015).
Bias and limitation of the literature
Several biases had been identified while conducting the literature review and
reviewing the article. One such bias that had been identified is the fact that the articles had
been directed at the ethical issues that exist in sports all over the world. However, specific
sports had not been focused on that made it difficult for the continuation of the literature

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review. At the same time, it has been seen that the articles were also involved in discussing
business management issues that may arise while mixing both the professions. This involves
identifying the manner in which relationship among businesspersons and sports management
can be controlled. One of the limitations is that the articles do not provide examples of other
sports in which business plays a pivotal role. Hence, research of other articles need to be
made in order to understand the impact of business in sports all around the world.
Summary of other research
After the analysis of the existing literature, it can be said that in order to continue with
the understanding of the relationship that exists between the sports and business management
analysis of other sports in other countries need to be considered. For example, Barclays Bank
sponsors the English Premier League and the teams are owned by business tycoons
associated with the growth of market in the United Kingdom. Therefore, research have been
made about the manner in which sports is used by the business organisations for promoting
the business and at the same time enhancing the market share.
Another example can be provided is the development of cricket leagues across the
cricket playing nations. As stated by Stein (2016) this can be considered as a perfect example
of the manner in which business organisations are involved with sports. The value in the
market is usually increased by bidding a price on the players and thereby analysing the profits
of the business. Kirschen et al. (2014) is of the opinion that such activities also affect the
growth of talents as value for all the players remain unequal despite the same effort.
Methods used to conduct the research
The methods that have been used for conducting the research are the secondary data
source. The secondary data research source is based on the analysis of various journals, books

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and websites. The issue in focus is the relationship between the sports management and the
business management. The manner in which the ethical consideration of the business and
sports culture are mixed with one another are analysed from the study of secondary sources.
This can help in understanding the application of business related strategies so that
organisations can contribute in understanding the differences that exists. For example, it has
been seen from the research that the development of sports activities in the USA and the
business management are analysed by gaining information from reputed scholars in both
fields. Hence, this helps in providing a relation with the research proposal and help in gaining
an understanding of the topic.
Relation with research proposal
The relation with the research proposal is that it can help in addressing the research
question and the objective. As seen earlier the research question focuses on the relationship
between the sports activities as well as the business management. The articles chosen to
identify the problem can help in understanding the necessity of ethical consideration in
sports. Therefore, the research proposal can be made based on the analysis of the literature
review and the contribution made by the scholars. At the same time, the use of secondary
research for analysis of data can be related to the research methodology section of the
research proposal. Justification can be provided for the selection of the secondary research
and application of other methodologies. The literature review can help in identifying the
relationship that exists between sports and business and provide opportunities for curbing the
interest so that sports fans can enjoy the game. At the same time, analysis done on the
literature review can help in formulating the research question, along with attaining the
objective of the research.

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Conclusion
Therefore, a conclusion can be made that highlights the potential of the business
activities and the manner in which it can have an effect on the sports. The analysis of the
articles shows that ethical consideration in business is important for the development of
disciplined athletes. The analysis show that in the USA, the ownership of the sports
organisation have provided an idea of mixing business with sports in other countries as well.
It is a well known fact that most of the popular sports teams across the world along with the
sport itself are owned by business that help in providing an understanding of the activities
associated with the management. Hence, ethical issues need to be considered that can help in
understanding the effect of sports in the countries and at the same time ensure that business
activities does not cause hindrance in the manner in which activities of sports teams are taken
into consideration. Thus, the relationship between sports management and business
management need to be cordial as well as respect ethical issues that exist between one
another.

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Reference
Crane, A., & Matten, D. (2016). Business ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and
sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford University Press.
Harriss, D. J., & Atkinson, G. (2015). Ethical standards in sport and exercise science
research: 2016 update. Int J Sports Med, 36(14), 1121-1124.
Harriss, D. J., MacSween, A., & Atkinson, G. (2017). Standards for ethics in sport and
exercise science research: 2018 update. International journal of sports
medicine, 38(14), 1126-1131.
Kirschen, M. P., Tsou, A., Nelson, S. B., Russell, J. A., & Larriviere, D. (2014). Legal and
ethical implications in the evaluation and management of sports-related
concussion. Neurology, 10-1212.
Mitten, M. J., Davis, T., Smith, R. K., & Shropshire, K. L. (2016). Sports law and regulation:
Cases, materials, and problems. Wolters Kluwer Law & Business.
Patterson, P., Wilkins, L., & Painter, C. (2018). Media ethics: Issues and cases. Rowman &
Littlefield.
Roberts, L. D., & Allen, P. J. (2015). Exploring ethical issues associated with using online
surveys in educational research. Educational Research and Evaluation, 21(2), 95-108.
Sarkar, M., Hill, D. M., & Parker, A. (2015). Reprint of: Working with religious and spiritual
athletes: Ethical considerations for sport psychologists. Psychology of Sport and
Exercise, 17, 48-55.
Shank, M. D., & Lyberger, M. R. (2014). Sports marketing: A strategic perspective.
Routledge.

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Shaw, W. H., & Barry, V. (2015). Moral issues in business. Cengage Learning.
Simon, R. L. (2018). Fair play: The ethics of sport. Routledge.
Stein, A. (2016). Journalism and Ethics. In Real-World Media Ethics (pp. 169-183). Focal
Press.
Thayer, L. (2015). Communication: Ethical and moral issues. Routledge.
Weiss, J. W. (2014). Business ethics: A stakeholder and issues management approach.
Berrett-Koehler Publishers.