Rahim Ramezaninejad
Abstract
The body of interdisciplinary knowledge of sport science has been fortified through scientific borrowing, the application of theoretical foundations from tangential disciplines, and the utilization of diverse research methodologies. The 1970s and particularly the 1980s represent the era of specialization ...
Read More
The body of interdisciplinary knowledge of sport science has been fortified through scientific borrowing, the application of theoretical foundations from tangential disciplines, and the utilization of diverse research methodologies. The 1970s and particularly the 1980s represent the era of specialization within the sport sciences. Sport management emerged from the nexus of human and social sciences, initially adopting pedagogical and philosophical paradigms akin to educational leadership; however, the subsequent commercialization and professionalization of sport shifted its conceptual framework toward the sport industry and business management. This evolution presents several fundamental challenges.The primary challenge concerns pedagogical content and curricula, which must balance traditional educational values with commercial imperatives and the proliferation of diverse sport organizations, roles, and events, necessitating a synergy between theoretical knowledge and practical internship experience. A secondary concern involves alignment with contemporary research trends and the pursuit of rigorous qualitative inquiry. The third challenge entails the further specialization of the discipline through the theorization of both global and indigenous sporting issues, though the present analysis focuses exclusively on the pedagogical dimension. Regarding the first challenge, sport management advances toward maturation by enhancing the competency profiles of educational programs through collaborative efforts with experts in related disciplines. Interdisciplinary engagement at the individual level or through the development of collaborative curricula and research projects provides a strategic opportunity to establish a robust foundation for the field, leveraging external scientific insights to facilitate academic and professional progression. An evaluation of current curricula indicates a departure from purely theoretical frameworks toward market oriented practices. Furthermore, domestic research in sport management has increasingly gravitated away from scholastic and recreational contexts toward professional sport, club structures, and commercial enterprises, with a disproportionate emphasis on sport marketing theories relative to other sub-disciplines. Practitioners within sport organizations find that formal education alone is insufficient; success depends upon the ability to apply theoretical insights within organizational settings and adapt to multifaceted professional demands. While numerous administrators secure roles based on individual executive triumphs or distinguished athletic and coaching backgrounds, the complexity of the sport industry renders specialized academic training an absolute necessity. Although universities bear the primary responsibility for professional training, significant concerns persist regarding the practical utility of specialized education and the subsequent integration of this expertise within public and private sectors.Moreover, educational programs must evolve to distinguish the discipline from related fields, as its broad interdisciplinary overlap with history, philosophy, sociology, and psychology remains a point of contention that requires further specialization. Specialized maturation requires scholars to focus on specific domains and engage with particular research trends to foster robust theorization. Such transformation must originate internally, necessitating collaborative efforts across disciplinary boundaries to deepen the academic impact of the field. Professional competency is cultivated through rigorous education, practical experience, and eventual professionalization, a state that requires continuous commitment to maintain. Irrespective of the specific career trajectories students may pursue, the integrity of educational training remains paramount.
Sport Economics, Marketing and Tourism
Mohammad Amin Savari; Farzam Farzan; Mohammad Ehsani; Yong Jin Yoon
Abstract
Objective: This study investigated the emergence and persistence of corruption in Iran’s football industry. It aimed to identify the institutional, structural, and cultural determinants of systemic corruption, with the objective of developing a conceptual and strategic framework to enhance governance ...
Read More
Objective: This study investigated the emergence and persistence of corruption in Iran’s football industry. It aimed to identify the institutional, structural, and cultural determinants of systemic corruption, with the objective of developing a conceptual and strategic framework to enhance governance in professional football.Methodology: A qualitative research design based on Glaserian Grounded Theory was adopted. Data were gathered through thirteen in-depth, semi-structured interviews with football specialists and key informants from Iran, the United States, Italy, Australia, Qatar, and Iraq. The analytical process involved open, selective, and theoretical coding, conducted using MAXQDA 2024. The resulting conceptual model was developed in accordance with Glaser’s 6C framework, which includes Causes, Contexts, Conditions, Covariance, Contingency, and Consequences.Results: The findings demonstrated that corruption within Iran’s football industry is deeply rooted and structurally embedded. Key contributing factors included weak institutional governance, political influence, opaque economic practices, a cultural tolerance for corruption, ineffective monitoring systems, and dysfunction within the judicial apparatus. The central phenomenon identified was systemic corruption in the governance of football. Ten overarching themes were incorporated into the final conceptual model, capturing the complexity and multi-layered nature of the issue.Conclusion: Addressing corruption in football requires comprehensive institutional reform, the establishment of independent oversight bodies, the deployment of transparency-enhancing technologies, the promotion of integrity-driven values, and the consistent enforcement of legal and regulatory frameworks. The conceptual model developed in this study provides a strategic foundation for policymakers and football administrators, particularly in contexts marked by fragile governance systems.
Sport Economics, Marketing and Tourism
Fatemeh Saeedi; Noshin Benar; Seyed Reza Miraskari
Abstract
Objective: This study aims to examine the barriers to employment in Iran's sports labor market, with a particular emphasis on the macroenvironment, by synthesizing previous research.Methodology: The research employed a qualitative meta-synthesis approach using qualitative content analysis. The statistical ...
Read More
Objective: This study aims to examine the barriers to employment in Iran's sports labor market, with a particular emphasis on the macroenvironment, by synthesizing previous research.Methodology: The research employed a qualitative meta-synthesis approach using qualitative content analysis. The statistical population included all domestic studies conducted between 2001 and 2023. A total of 580 studies relevant to the topic were evaluated, and 31 articles were purposefully selected. Using Sandelowski and Barroso's seven-step framework, the findings of previous research related to the study's objectives were analyzed, aggregated, synthesized, and interpreted. Through coding methods, 21 sub-themes and five main themes were identified.Results: The results categorized macroenvironmental barriers to employment in Iran's sports labor market into five main themes: economic barriers, cultural and social barriers, political barriers, knowledge and technology barriers, and legal and regulatory barriers.Conclusion: The findings indicate that employment development in Iran's sports sector faces numerous challenges within the macroenvironment. To address these challenges, a comprehensive and long-term approach by policymakers, managers, and economic stakeholders in this sector is essential. A deeper understanding of macroenvironmental barriers can help design more effective policies and strategies to promote employment in the sports labor market. These strategies may include economic reforms, political improvements, social support, technological advancements, and legal changes. Implementing such measures can create new and sustainable job opportunities in Iran's sports industry.
Sport Governance and Policy-Making
Mohammad Sadegh Afroozeh; Ameneh Mehri; Zahra Niknam
Abstract
Objective: The use of sport to address various social issues, including peace, has been widely welcomed. Accordingly, with the increasing popularity and pervasiveness of sport around the world, the subject of sport and peace in scientific discourses has fascinated many researchers. The purpose of this ...
Read More
Objective: The use of sport to address various social issues, including peace, has been widely welcomed. Accordingly, with the increasing popularity and pervasiveness of sport around the world, the subject of sport and peace in scientific discourses has fascinated many researchers. The purpose of this study was to analyze the thematic discourse on the role of sport in world peace.Methodology: The present study was of qualitative type and was conducted by systematic review of documents. The researchers selected, coded and analyzed 35 documents related to the research objectives by reviewing the articles in the period 2015-2021.Results: Document analysis by coding method 172 code; 25 concepts and 10 categories were identified. The contexts identified for the development of sport-based world peace included budget, educational sport, culture, competence, politics and religion, communities, sport efficiency, peace capabilities, effectiveness and leadership.Conclusion: These findings provide a basis for researchers to distinguish the next steps. At the same time, it will lead to a stronger literary base and challenge the lack of discourse in this area.
Sport Management
Shouan Azizi; Gholamreza Shabanibahar; Samira Aliabadi; Mozaffar Yekta Yar
Abstract
Objective: The present research was conducted with the aim of explaining the drivers of strategic thinking in order to improve the quality of the decisions of the Ministry of Sport and Youth.Methodology: The research was of a mixed or combined type (qualitative and quantitative). The statistical population ...
Read More
Objective: The present research was conducted with the aim of explaining the drivers of strategic thinking in order to improve the quality of the decisions of the Ministry of Sport and Youth.Methodology: The research was of a mixed or combined type (qualitative and quantitative). The statistical population of the research in the qualitative part included all experts in the field of sports and in the quantitative part included all managers and employees of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, totaling 850 people. Sampling in the qualitative part was carried out purposefully and using the snowball technique, and interviews continued until theoretical saturation was achieved (16 people). In the quantitative part, the sample size was calculated based on the Morgan table as 233 people, and these people were selected using the stratified random sampling method. For data analysis, the Grand Theory technique and the Fuzzy Delphi method were used in the qualitative part, and the exploratory factor analysis tests, Friedman ranking test, and structural equation modeling were used in the quantitative part with the help of SPSS 25 and Smart PLS 3 statistical software.Results: The results of the qualitative part of the research showed that the 12 main factors of the central hypothesis are conceptual thinking, systemic thinking, creativity, goal setting, continuous monitoring and evaluation, strengthening the managerial perspective, focusing on values, mastering time, mobilizing the supply chain, foresight, intelligent opportunism on thinking. Strategically, it is effective in improving the quality of the decisions of the Ministry of Sports and Youth.Conclusion: According to the results, it seems that conceptual thinking as the most important effective driver of strategic thinking in order to improve the quality of the decisions of the Ministry of Sports and Youth should receive more attention from the managers and policy makers of the Ministry of Sports and Youth and this concept should replace the old thinking.
Sport Development and Sustainable Development
Bahman Tayebi; Amin Dehghan Ghahfarokhi
Abstract
Objective: The aim of the current research was to investigate the spatial development status in four Olympic martial sports, wrestling, taekwondo, judo, and boxing.Methodology: The current research method was chosen as a mixed type (qualitative and quantitative). In order to identify the effective indicators ...
Read More
Objective: The aim of the current research was to investigate the spatial development status in four Olympic martial sports, wrestling, taekwondo, judo, and boxing.Methodology: The current research method was chosen as a mixed type (qualitative and quantitative). In order to identify the effective indicators in the spatial planning in championship sports, theoretical foundations and qualitative interviews with 28 elites knowledgeable about the research subject were used until theoretical saturation was reached. In the quantitative part, in order to weight sports land development indicators, the analysis hierarchy method (AHP) and the numerical taxonomy method were used to identify the state of spatial planing in combat sports, and according to the development factor, the provinces of the country were prioritized in each of the sports fields.Results: Data analysis showed that only 14.6% of the country's regions are developed in Olympic martial arts, and 85.4% are less developed or undeveloped. Also, wrestling has the best development status with 25.8%, and taekwondo has the worst development status with 0.06% among Olympic martial arts.Conclusion: Therefore, in order to win more Olympic medals, it is necessary to focus more on 14.6% of developed provinces, and among martial arts, more attention should be paid to wrestling, boxing, judo, and taekwondo, respectively.
Theory Development and Futures Studies in Sport
Emad Haghali; Salah Naghshbandi; Zahra Hozhabrnia; Nahid Shetabboushehri
Abstract
Objective: Identifying the key factors influencing various systems within an organization serves as a foundation for developing strategic roadmaps and future scenarios. Given the significance of this issue, the present research aims to identify and categorize the key factors shaping the future of "sport ...
Read More
Objective: Identifying the key factors influencing various systems within an organization serves as a foundation for developing strategic roadmaps and future scenarios. Given the significance of this issue, the present research aims to identify and categorize the key factors shaping the future of "sport for all" in Iran, employing a structural analysis approach.Methodology: This research is descriptive-analytical in terms of practical targeting strategy and descriptive-analytical based on prospective research methods. Theoretical data was prepared by the document method and experimental data by the survey method based on the Delphi method. The participants in the research were 15 experts and experts in the field of sports, who were selected by purposive sampling. The approach of structural analysis and Micmac software has been used.Results: The results showed that the dispersion of crucial and influential factors on the future of sport for all in Iran has a stable system. Among the 42 factors investigated in this research, four elements (reference groups, native and local games, financial sponsors, facilities and equipment) had the most critical role in the future of sport for all in Iran.Conclusion: Finding shows that the mentioned activists mainly influence the future of sport for all in Iran. The effort to build a better future in sport for all requires that the mentioned activists be organized and strengthened by the relevant trustees.
Sport Management
Shahnaz Roozbehani; Ali Fahiminezhad; Seyed Mostafa Tayebisani; Javad Esmaeili
Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to design an interpretive structural model of indicators affecting the successful implementation of the general physical education courses in Iranian universities.Methodology: The statistical population of the study consisted of 10 experts from university sports and ...
Read More
Objective: The aim of this study was to design an interpretive structural model of indicators affecting the successful implementation of the general physical education courses in Iranian universities.Methodology: The statistical population of the study consisted of 10 experts from university sports and physical education, senior executives of the Ministry of Science and heads of physial education colleges, physical education professors, as well as faculty members who were tareted. The data collection tool was a questionnaire. The interpretative structural modeling tecnique was used the successful implementation of the General Unit of Physical Education with the help of MATLAB software. For this purpose, the experts have been used, and a couple of questionnaires have been distributed among the expert group in terms of influence and influence on each other.Results: In examining the relationships between research components, the components of "life satisfaction and health" are in the first level, and "structure and improvement" are in the second level, which indicates the high impact of these variables. Also, the components of "management and infrastructure" were in the third and fourth levels, and in the fifth and last level, the component of "education" was placed, which were the most effective indicators. Finally, using the MICMAC technique, the variables were analyzed in terms of conductivity and dependence.Conclusion: Student sports require careful planning, and according to the legal requirements of education, a suitable structure can be provided for the implementation of physical education curricula at the university.
Sport Economics, Marketing and Tourism
Mehrnaz Sabzemeidani; Vahid Shojaei; Mohammad Hami
Abstract
Objective: The objective of this study was to presenting a conceptual model of influencing factors on entrepreneurship education in universities (study of sports science students).Methodology: The research method was qualitative and based on grounded theory. The statistical population of the research ...
Read More
Objective: The objective of this study was to presenting a conceptual model of influencing factors on entrepreneurship education in universities (study of sports science students).Methodology: The research method was qualitative and based on grounded theory. The statistical population of the research included faculty members of entrepreneurial management faculties of state universities, faculty members of sports science faculties of state universities across the country with entrepreneurship expertise, special and selected members and lecturers of the employment and entrepreneurship working group of the Ministry of Sports and Youth, and selected sports entrepreneurs of the country. Sampling was determined by snowball method. Data was collected from library sources and previous researches and semi-structured interviews. Next, 19 experts were interviewed, and opinion saturation was reached in 15 people. Then the interview data was analyzed by MAXQDA software.Results: It was analyzed within the framework of five components: causal conditions, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, the core phenomenon (sports entrepreneurship education), strategies, and consequences. The approaches were extracted across behavioral, business-oriented, creativity-centered, human resource development, communicative quality, personal development, and social domains.Conclusion: Conclusion: According to the results of the research, it can be concluded that the changes towards the global and knowledge-based economy have created new opportunities and threats for entrepreneurial businesses. Exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities helps the efforts of sports entrepreneurs in shaping sustainable competitive advantage and wealth creation. It is also possible for sports entrepreneurs to identify and exploit opportunities that lead to creating a temporary advantage instead of creating a sustainable competitive advantage. Therefore, the programs should be directed towards creativity and innovation and by combining theoretical and practical knowledge related to sports entrepreneurship, they should move from a knowledge-oriented university to an entrepreneurial university.
