What is Sport Marketing? Consideration of the Specificity

Abstract

Sport marketing research is pursued in both business administration and commercial science as marketing research related to the business of sport and as the primary domestic and international field of research in sport management studies. These areas of study are co-creation partners in innovation, and it is important to consider the definition of sport marketing to develop sport marketing research. The aim of this study is to assist in this inquiry by presenting the background to the development of sport marketing as sport business and as an academic field. Sport marketing is defined by taking account the current state of the sporting world in Japan and is identified as being characterized by a “sport product” and a “sport consumer.” The specificity of each of these and future directions toward development of the concept of sport marketing are also discussed.