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Explaining the Number of Social Media Fans for North American and European Professional Sports Clubs with Determinants of Their Financial Value

Author

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  • Nicolas Scelles

    (Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK)

  • Boris Helleu

    (Faculty of Sports Sciences, University of Caen Normandie, Caen 14032 CEDEX, France)

  • Christophe Durand

    (Faculty of Sports Sciences, University of Caen Normandie, Caen 14032 CEDEX, France)

  • Liliane Bonnal

    (Faculty of Economics, University of Poitiers, Poitiers 86073 CEDEX 9, France)

  • Stephen Morrow

    (Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK)

Abstract

The aim of this article is to investigate the explanatory variables of the number of Facebook fans and Twitter followers for professional sports clubs based on the financial value literature. Such explanatory variables are related to local market conditions and on-field and off-field performance. Based upon a sample of North American major league clubs and the most valuable European soccer clubs as evaluated by Forbes over the 2011–2013 period (423 observations), our results indicate a range of variables with a significant positive impact on the number of social media fans: population, no competing team in the market, current sports performance, historical sports performance, facility age, attendance, operating income, expenses/league mean, and being an English football club. An improved understanding of the effectiveness of clubs’ social media presence is important for contemporary sport managers in terms of enhancing supporter communication, involvement, and accountability, as well as maximizing clubs’ revenue generation possibilities. Our findings could help sport managers to realize their clubs’ social media potential in pursuit of these objectives, specifically to understand which variables are under-exploited and why some clubs over-perform, which will allow managers to prioritize decisions to increase their number of social media fans and financial value.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicolas Scelles & Boris Helleu & Christophe Durand & Liliane Bonnal & Stephen Morrow, 2017. "Explaining the Number of Social Media Fans for North American and European Professional Sports Clubs with Determinants of Their Financial Value," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 5(4), pages 1-19, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijfss:v:5:y:2017:i:4:p:25-:d:117169
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Nicolas Scelles & Matthieu Llorca, 2021. "Leader Dismissal or Continuity, President Longevity, Geographic Orientation of Owners and Team Performance: Insights from French Men’s Football, 1994–2016," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-17, September.
    2. Rodney Paul & Andrew Weinbach & Nick Riccardi, 2019. "Attendance in the Canadian Hockey League: The Impact of Winning, Fighting, Uncertainty of Outcome, and Weather on Junior Hockey Attendance," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-11, February.
    3. Pedro Garcia‐del‐Barrio & Carlos Gomez‐Gonzalez & José Manuel Sánchez‐Santos, 2020. "Popularity and Visibility Appraisals for Computing Olympic Medal Rankings," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 101(5), pages 2137-2157, September.
    4. Yan Feng & Jinbao Wang & Yeujun Yoon, 2020. "Online Webcast Demand vs. Offline Spectating Channel Demand (Stadium and TV) in the Professional Sports League," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-18, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    social media; Facebook fans; Twitter followers; professional sports clubs; North America; Europe; local market variables; on-field and off-field performance variables; financial value;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G1 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets
    • G2 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services
    • G3 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance
    • F2 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business
    • F3 - International Economics - - International Finance
    • F41 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Open Economy Macroeconomics
    • F42 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - International Policy Coordination and Transmission

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