The Sports Marketing

Niculescu Mihnea-Gabriel
Group 1721, Series D, Year of Study 1
Abstract
Recently, a specific question is increasingly used in our country: What is sports
marketing? This question begins to shape a response. Due to the importance of sports granted at
the global level, sports field has certain needs. The huge sums invested in certain sports need a
powerful justification why they require a lot of money. Attracting by sport and the popularization
of this domain implies various costs, but it also brings truly remarkable profits and benefits. The
presents work presents this branch of marketing less known in our country but as complex as the
others in different areas, which deserves to be noticed, studied and adopted.
Jel Classification: Marketing M31
Key words: promotion, marketing, advertising, business, investments, sport.
Introduction
Marketing in the field of sport has recently been noted and deeply analyzed, in contrast to
its knowledge in other areas.
After an elaborate examination of the relevant published literature, we reached the
conclusion that the research of relational marketing in sports is limited. Only a few studies have
examined the relational aspects in the framework of the activity of sport until now (Buhler and
Nufer, 2009, p. 2).
The Content of Article
A reason why marketing is less seen as a part of the sport field is because sport is a
different form of entertainment. Most consumers watch movies, plays, opera or concerts which
are forms closer to the entertainment. However, for many of us, the sport is something different.
A play has a scenario and a concert has a program, but the action we maintain in sport is
spontaneous and uncontrolled by those who participate in the event (Shank and Lyberger, 2014,
p. 343). If there is a balanced confrontation and our favorite team wins, we will feel joy and
pleasure, but if it loses, we will be disappointed and bored. Thus, because of its spontaneous
nature, the sport producers face with a series of challenges which are different from those that are
met in other forms of entertainment (Shank and Lyberger, 2014, p. 344).

In view of the larger and larger amounts invested in sports, there is a vital question: Is it
a game or a business? (Thorne Wright and Jones, 2001).
O possible answer may belong to Sepp Blatter, the President of FIFA. He said that sport
is now a product! (Blackshaw, 2012)
Due to increasing advertising, media transmissions, promotion and approvals, the
organized sport is no longer just a sport, but also a business. Sports marketing is the most
obvious form of marketing in sport and however, the sporting events and the marketing patterns
have attracted relatively little academic attention. (Polley, 1998, quoted in Liao, Chens and Hsu,
2009, p. 996)
With the help of sponsors who use sport, the performance athletes, as a way of promoting
its own brand, the amounts that are invested particularly in football are exorbitant. For example,
the biggest sponsorship of a football club is between Nike and Manchester United. Nike
Company pays the English Club by the amount of 302,9 million pounds during a period of 13
years! (Blackshaw, 2012, p. 121). Also, in 2006, Chelsea signed a sponsorship for a period of
10 years with Adidas for an amount of 10 million pounds per year (Blackshaw, 2012, p. 121).
Other studies have also stressed the importance of a relationship built using social
networking. For example, Garcia (2011, quoted in Eagleman, 2013, p. 479) interviewed directors
of the soccer club Real Madrid and has found that the organization based very much on the fans
feedback in building the communications strategies of the online marketing. The author has
concluded that the name Real Madrid has built its strong reputation partly by promoting these
positive relations with their own fans, who has helped the brand to remain firmly even when the
team was not performing too well.
Besides attracting investors, fans and their contribution, the sports has a considerable
impact also on tourism. Sports has become an important factor of tourism and, as a result, a
vital component of the marketing (Kahle and Riley, 2004, p. 20). Also, the research suggests
that both sporting events on a large scale and on a small scale can attract participants, spectators
and tourists, can increase the attention of the mass-media and create a positive image among the
community and the visitors (Kim and Patrick, 2005, quoted in Funk and Bruun, 2007, p. 801).
therefore, in order to support the efforts of marketing, it is important that the sport and tourism
managers to understand what motivates individuals to take part in sporting events and what kind
of experiences they prefer (Mohsin, 2005, quoted in Funk and Bruun, 2007, p. 801). This
relation between sport and tourism can improve the quality of life in certain less-favored areas,
relationship that needs to be important in order to effectively exploit the opportunities afforded
by the field of sport.

Conclusion
In consider that because of such investments, this process of marketing is necessary to be
exploited in this area in which the amounts traded are huge. Due to the globalization, the sports
marketing is spreading fast, sports becoming more known, appreciated and exploited.
The benefits of sports field can be enhanced, both on the cultural plan by enhancing the
tourism and financial by using the opportunities created by the sporting events and the athletes
themselves.

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