IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v17y2020i20p7534-d429243.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Successful Are the Teams of the European Football Elite off the Field?—CSR Activities of the Premier League and the Primera División

Author

Listed:
  • Kinga Ráthonyi-Ódor

    (Institute of Sport Management, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary)

  • Éva Bácsné Bába

    (Institute of Sport Management, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary)

  • Anetta Müller

    (Institute of Sport Management, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary)

  • Zoltán Bács

    (Department of Accounting, Institute of Accounting and Finance, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary)

  • Gergely Ráthonyi

    (Institute of Applied Informatics and Logistics, University of Debrecen, H-4032 Debrecen, Hungary)

Abstract

In the past two decades the sports sector has turned its attention to understanding the idea of sustainability, particularly to the practical steps related to this. The purpose of this study is to investigate the nature of CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities carried out by teams playing in the Premier League and the Primera División in the 2018/2019 season, and how these CSR actions serve environmental protection and society, manifesting the concept of sustainable development. We applied comparative analysis based on secondary databases. We examined the available reports regarding all the 40 teams, focusing on information about their CSR aspirations and related academic research results, and we worked out specific criteria to evaluate environmentally and socially related CSR activities. Arsenal and Real Madrid were chosen to show good practices that can serve as examples for the other members of the sports sector. At Premier League clubs, the practical application of the CSR activities has been intensively developed. Clubs share detailed statistical information about their actions, while some of the clubs even publish their future plans. The quantity and detail of the information found with Primera División clubs is rather varied. Some clubs introduce their CSR activities in full detail; however, in the case of most clubs, the accessible information is rather superficial and lacks any exact descriptions. The findings clearly show that the sports world is consciously shifting towards the realization of sustainable development, which requires a comprehensive reconnection of sporting society and an increase in awareness in order to achieve the efficient and successful integration of CSR activities into sport.

Suggested Citation

  • Kinga Ráthonyi-Ódor & Éva Bácsné Bába & Anetta Müller & Zoltán Bács & Gergely Ráthonyi, 2020. "How Successful Are the Teams of the European Football Elite off the Field?—CSR Activities of the Premier League and the Primera División," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-31, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:20:p:7534-:d:429243
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/20/7534/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/20/7534/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Scheinbaum, Angeline Close & Lacey, Russell, 2015. "Event social responsibility: A note to improve outcomes for sponsors and events," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(9), pages 1982-1986.
    2. Kathy Babiak & Sylvia Trendafilova, 2011. "CSR and environmental responsibility: motives and pressures to adopt green management practices," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(1), pages 11-24, January.
    3. R. Ş Topal & H. Gurdag, 2009. "Turkey: Civil Society Practices," Springer Books, in: Samuel O. Idowu & Walter Leal Filho (ed.), Global Practices of Corporate Social Responsibility, chapter 17, pages 343-372, Springer.
    4. Shame Mugova & Moono Mudenda & Paul R. Sachs, 2017. "Corporate Social Responsibility in Challenging Times in Developing Countries," CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance, in: Samuel O. Idowu & Stephen Vertigans & Adriana Schiopoiu Burlea (ed.), Corporate Social Responsibility in Times of Crisis, pages 207-228, Springer.
    5. Dawid Szutowski & Piotr Ratajczak, 2016. "The Relation between CSR and Innovation. Model Approach," Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation, Fundacja Upowszechniająca Wiedzę i Naukę "Cognitione", vol. 12(2), pages 1-1.
    6. Perrini, Francesco, 2005. "Building a European Portrait of Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 23(6), pages 611-627, December.
    7. Walker, Matthew & Parent, Milena M., 2010. "Toward an integrated framework of corporate social responsibility, responsiveness, and citizenship in sport," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 13(3), pages 198-213, August.
    8. Matthew Walker & Milena M. Parent, 2010. "Toward an integrated framework of corporate social responsibility, responsiveness, and citizenship in sport," Sport Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(3), pages 198-213, July.
    9. Yehia Al-Daaja & György Norbert Szabados, 2018. "The Current State Of Csr In The Football Clubs Of The Professional Football League In Jordan," APSTRACT: Applied Studies in Agribusiness and Commerce, AGRIMBA, vol. 12(3-4), December.
    10. Sylvia Trendafilova & Kathy Babiak & Kathryn Heinze, 2013. "Corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability: Why professional sport is greening the playing field," Sport Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(3), pages 298-313, July.
    11. Flöter, Thomas & Benkenstein, Martin & Uhrich, Sebastian, 2016. "Communicating CSR-linked sponsorship: Examining the influence of three different types of message sources," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 146-156.
    12. Richard Giulianotti & Simon Darnell & Holly Collison & P. David Howe, 2018. "Sport for Development and Peace and the Environment: The Case for Policy, Practice, and Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-15, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tayebeh Zargar & Steven Rynne, 2023. "The Corporate Social Responsibility Sport Model: Grounded Theory Approach," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, October.
    2. Lee, Joon Sung & Babiak, Katherine, 2019. "Does your left hand know what your right hand is doing? Impacts of athletes’ pre-transgression philanthropic behavior on consumer post-transgression evaluation," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 553-565.
    3. Matthew Walker & Haylee Mercado, 2015. "The Resource‐worthiness of Environmental Responsibility: A Resource‐based Perspective," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 22(4), pages 208-221, July.
    4. Ine Hugaerts & Jeroen Scheerder & Kobe Helsen & Joris Corthouts & Erik Thibaut & Thomas Könecke, 2021. "Sustainability in Participatory Sports Events: The Development of a Research Instrument and Empirical Insights," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-16, May.
    5. Matthew Walker & Stephen Hills & Bob Heere, 2017. "Evaluating a Socially Responsible Employment Program: Beneficiary Impacts and Stakeholder Perceptions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 143(1), pages 53-70, June.
    6. Konstantinos Evangelinos & Stefanos Fotiadis & Antonis Skouloudis & Nadeem Khan & Foteini Konstandakopoulou & Ioannis Nikolaou & Shaun Lundy, 2018. "Occupational health and safety disclosures in sustainability reports: An overview of trends among corporate leaders," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(5), pages 961-970, September.
    7. Virginia S. Harrison & Michail Vafeiadis & Joseph Bober, 2022. "Greening Professional Sport: How Communicating the Fit, Proximity, and Impact of Sustainability Efforts Affects Fan Perceptions and Supportive Intentions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-21, March.
    8. Mohamed Basta & James Lapalme & Marc Paquet & Patrick Saint‐Louis & Tarek Abu Zwaida, 2018. "How are supply chains addressing their social responsibility dilemmas? Review of the last decade and a half," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(5), pages 833-843, September.
    9. Verschuuren, Pim, 2020. "Whistleblowing determinants and the effectiveness of reporting channels in the international sports sector," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 142-154.
    10. Turner, Paul, 2012. "Regulation of professional sport in a changing broadcasting environment: Australian club and sport broadcaster perspectives," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 43-59.
    11. Lamont, Matthew & Kennelly, Millicent, 2019. "Sporting hyperchallenges: Health, social, and fiscal implications," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 68-79.
    12. Junying Li & Jirawan Deeprasert & Rita Yi Man Li & Wei Lu, 2022. "The Influence of Chinese Professional Basketball Organizations’ (CPBOs’) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Efforts on Their Clubs’ Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-21, September.
    13. Djaballah, Mathieu & Hautbois, Christopher & Desbordes, Michel, 2017. "Sponsors’ CSR strategies in sport: A sensemaking approach of corporations established in France," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 211-225.
    14. Ha Junsheng & Muhammad Mehedi Masud & Rulia Akhtar & Md. Sohel Rana, 2020. "The Mediating Role of Employees’ Green Motivation between Exploratory Factors and Green Behaviour in the Malaysian Food Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-18, January.
    15. Welty Peachey, Jon & Bruening, Jennifer, 2011. "An examination of environmental forces driving change and stakeholder responses in a Football Championship Subdivision athletic department," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 202-219, May.
    16. Flöter, Thomas & Benkenstein, Martin & Uhrich, Sebastian, 2016. "Communicating CSR-linked sponsorship: Examining the influence of three different types of message sources," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 146-156.
    17. Ted Hayduk & Matthew Walker, 2018. "Mapping the strategic factor market for sport entrepreneurship," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 705-724, September.
    18. Taerin Chung & Kwang-Yong Lee & Uk Kim, 2022. "The Impact of Sustainable Management Strategies of Sports Apparel Brands on Brand Reliability and Purchase Intention through Single Person Media during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Path Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-12, June.
    19. Ráthonyi-Ódor, Kinga & Bába, Éva Bácsné & Ráthonyi, Gergely, 2019. "Responsible Behavior And Environmental Protection – In Case Of Football Clubs," APSTRACT: Applied Studies in Agribusiness and Commerce, AGRIMBA, vol. 13(1-2), June.
    20. Molnar, G. & Rathonyi-Odor, K. & Borbely, Akos, 2013. "Responsible Behaviour Or Business? Social Responsibility (Csr) In Sport Management," APSTRACT: Applied Studies in Agribusiness and Commerce, AGRIMBA, vol. 7(1), pages 1-8, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:20:p:7534-:d:429243. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.