The delicate art of rebranding a minor league baseball franchise: Practices,pitfalls, and payoffs of rebranding the Winston-Salem Warthogs

This case study deals with the transformative rebranding of the Winston-Salem Warthogs, a Class High-A minor league baseball franchise and affiliate of Major League Baseball's Chicago White Sox, as the Winston-Salem Dash. It was written and designed to be multi-faceted for instructors to use in various sport management courses, such as sport marketing, organizational behavior, human resource management, ticket and sponsorship sales, and public relations. There are three primary aims of the study. The first aim is to challenge students to critically assess the practices of external rebranding (with implications relative to consumer attitudes and brand equity) and internal rebranding (with workplace outcomes that favor employees and uphold brand values). The second aim is to make students consider the potential pitfalls of rebranding with regard to crisis and contingency planning and public relations. The third aim is to highlight the potential payoffs of rebranding when managers of sport organizations are willing to consider changes in views regarding the spirit and culture of the work environment (internal brand) and the overall quality and characteristics of brand marks (external brand). As a core feature of this real-world case study, interviews with stakeholders and personnel of the franchise give a glimpse at some real scenarios that students may face as they enter into the industry of team sport marketing.     

Macho men in a girls’ game: masculinities and the Otago men’s netball team

This article examines the experiences of seven men who play for the Otago men’s netball team (in Dunedin, New Zealand). Despite playing a sport that was initially invented as women’s basketball and in an association that has historically had a strong gay and trans* presence, they subscribe to rather hegemonic definitions of masculinity. All the players are both heterosexual and consider homosexuality incompatible with hegemonic masculinity. However, they also characterize homophobia as vulnerability and therefore a failure of masculine power. This suggests that there may be some shifts in definitions of hegemonic masculinity within this context. The traditional southern ‘hard man’ is therefore relegated to second-tier status: it is the man who tells his rugby mates that he likes netball that must ‘have a bit of bloody strength’.     

Elite athletes as mothers: Managing multiple identities

Mothers’ voices are often silent in the sports literature, especially as elite athletes. This research used a symbolic interactionist approach and semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of nine elite female athletes in New Zealand who were also mothers at the time of competing. The specific objectives were to explore how motherhood impacted on the identity of elite athletes, how they negotiated their multiple identities and roles, and how support systems were utilized to encourage and retain elite athletes as mothers. The women managed their multiple identities and negotiated constraints such as guilt, lack of time and limited organizational support by emphasizing how integral sport was to their sense of self. They highlighted the mutual benefits of motherhood to their sport aspirations and vice versa, by utilizing time/space management strategies, and by creating and accessing strong support networks which sometimes included organizational support. There was a move towards the integration of multiple identities and a focus on how women's choices in leisure and sport were realized for future research and theory development. Sport management practices and policies that create opportunities for mothers to achieve and maintain elite athlete status are also mentioned.     

Moving bodies beyond the social/biological divide: toward theoretical and transdisciplinary adventures

In this paper I call for ‘new forms of thinking and new ways of theorizing’ the complex relations between the biological and social in sport and physical culture. I illustrate the inseparability of our biological and social bodies in sport and physical culture via the case of exercise and female reproductive hormones. Inspired by feminist biologists and philosophers of science such as Lynda Birke and Elizabeth Grosz, I describe my current research project in which I am seeking to create space for female exercisers' (as distinct from female athletes) voices about their embodied experiences of exercise-associated amenorrhea. I offer reflections from my ongoing study and reveal a number of dilemmas that emerge as I consider how we might bring biology—and particularly hormones—back into conversations about women's moving bodies in non-reductionist and non-determinist terms. I conclude by advocating the need for more transdisciplinary approaches to help us move toward more multidimensional understandings of the body in sport and physical culture.     

四人制篮球运动在普通高校的开展意义

随着篮球运动在我国高校的普及,"四人制"篮球与"三人制"和"五人制"篮球运动进行比较,确立四人制篮球具有新体育运动的特征,该项运动与当代体育教学改革的发展方向"终身体育"相吻合。具有很好的开展意义。     

W. N. ‘Bill’ Carson: Double All Black,Military Cross Recipient

Measuring the impact of sports experience as preparation for war, and especially leadership in war, is open to debate. Accordingly, this paper is intended to highlight the role that sport played in New Zealand's effort in the Second World War and the way in which sport prepared some of those who would have positions of command in the structure of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. The paper explores the realisation of the Commander of the New Zealand Division in the war, General Bernard Freyberg, that he needed to reshape his command by utilising younger, more durable, officers to cope with the more mobile methodology of the German war machine, especially after the military disasters that occurred in Greece and Crete. By concentrating on a particular soldier, W. N. ‘Bill’ Carson, a double New Zealand cricket-rugby representative, it is intended to show that sport was capable of providing the sort of life experiences that could prepare him for command and the need to adapt under extreme pressure by utilising the exposure to both success and failure in sport to cope with what were for him unique demands of battle.     

Developing ‘good buggers’: global implications of the influence of culture on New Zealand club rugby coaches’ beliefs and practice

Abstract

Despite recognition of how experience shapes sport coaches’ beliefs and practice empirical investigation into how this occurs is limited. This article redresses this gap in the literature by presenting the findings of a study that inquired into the influence of culture on three New Zealand rugby coaches’ beliefs and practice to identify the powerful influence of interaction between a ‘local’ traditional culture of club rugby in New Zealand shaped by the resilient ‘amateur ideal’, intensified by the perceived threat of professional rugby and the global culture of the sport industry to club rugby.     

Developmental processes and motivations for linkages in cross-sectoral sport clusters

Interorganisational linkages are a widely studied topic in sport management. However, most researchers focus on public or non-profit organisations and analyse one focal organisation rather than a network of interrelated organisations. The purpose of this study was to address both of these shortcomings by investigating interorganisational linkages in sport clusters, a type of cross-sectoral network. The authors address three main questions: (a) what is the nature of interorganisational linkages in sport clusters; (b) how do linkages in sport clusters develop; and (c) what are the organisational motivations for creating or joining linkages in sport clusters? A multiple case study approach explores two sailing clusters in France and New Zealand. Results show that interorganisational relationships tend to be formalised, while interorganisational networks tend to be informal. A circular development process from formal relationships to formal networks via informal relationships and networks was detected. Reciprocity is the most prevalent motive for the development of all types of interorganisational linkages. This research contributes to sport management practice by showcasing the potential multitude and variety of interorganisational linkages in a cross-sectoral sport context which are foundations for cooperation and collaboration. The theoretical contribution lies in the conceptualising of the IOR development process and different motivational patterns as antecedents.     

Evidence of a reduced home advantage when a team moves to a new stadium

Home advantage is well documented for professional baseball, basketball and ice hockey in North America. One of the possible causes of this advantage is familiarity with the local playing facility. This was investigated and quantified in an analysis of 37 teams moving to new stadiums, but in the same city, from 1987 to 2001. Home advantage during the first season in a new stadium after the move was significantly less than home advantage in the final season in the old stadium (P= 0.011). The reduction was evident in all three sports. Possible confounding factors, such as crowd size and crowd density, were considered but did not appear to have an effect. It is estimated that about 24% of the advantage of playing at home maybe lost when a team relocates to a new facility.     

How can Country-of-Origin image be leveraged to create global sporting goods brands?

While much marketing research has focused on brand creation and management, less is known about the creation of sport brands. This paper complements the stakeholder model of branding and brand creation, which highlights the role of a firm's stakeholders in the analysis of brands, by including country-specific factors based on location and Country-of-Origin (CoO). Using a sample of innovative New Zealand-based firms, our qualitative study uses a comparative case method in two subsector settings to investigate how they have built outdoor sport brands based on that country's particular country-specific factors. We show how firms are able to leverage New Zealand's strong sport product category-country associations to create brand value. Our findings confirm that CoO image together with sport product category-country associations enables the creation of brands in sport product categories. Our paper contributes to theory and practice by extending understanding of brand creation by demonstrating the importance of location and product category. Further research directions are suggested.     

“Scandalous!”: Reputation,impression management,and employee assistance programs (EAPs) in the NBA

This case study explores how the National Basketball Association (NBA) can rebuild its reputation in response to recurrent player scandals. The case centers on a reputation management firm that has been contracted by the league. The firm has been asked to develop programs that will permit players to make better decisions in their personal lives. NBA commissioner Adam Silver believes such programs will curb the likelihood of future player scandals, thereby enhancing the players’ lives and limiting their ability to damage the league's reputation. To commence the process, the firm has been invited to sit-in on a meeting with Commissioner Silver and a group of NBA staff members who have past work experiences assisting players with their transition to the NBA.This reputation management case study is positioned in two key areas: impression management and employee assistance programs (EAPs). Upon reading the case, answering the provided questions, and completing the activities, students should come to a better understanding as to how to proactively manage corporate reputation. While fictitious names are given, the case study is based on actual interviews with current NBA staff members. The case is ideal for courses pertaining to strategy, policy, organizational behavior, and human resource management. The case could also be useful for sport marketing and sport finance courses if adapted to investigate how the created programs are important for branding and value.     

国内小篮球运动发展进展分析

小篮球主要是根据成人的篮球运动专门设计用来为少年儿童的篮球运动服务的一项运动项目,目前,小篮球在国外的发展属于起步的阶段,对于国内来讲,虽然小篮球运动的举办时间比较早,但是没有统一的官方路径,只是非正式的发展。在2017年,篮球协会首次通过一场新闻发布会的模式,将小篮球纳入了官方管理的范围,自此,小篮球才正式地与国人接触。     

新西兰体育赛事政府资助模式及对上海的启示

采用文献资料、专家访谈等方法,对新西兰体育赛事政府资助模式进行了分析.通过研究与对比新西兰政府创新资助体系和新西兰国家及地区两种资助模式的差异性,借鉴新西兰国家及城市的资助经验,提出上海体育赛事政府资助模式的建议：制定符合地方特色的赛事政策,形成互补：赛事资助模式进一步整合,加强分权管理与法律制度建设;引入赛事分级机制定位赛事,精简申请流程;明确规定评估标准及评估程序,增加赛事附加值.     

‘See These Brilliant Exponents of the Game’: The England Women’s Hockey Team Tour of Australia and New Zealand, 1914

Abstract

This paper argues that the 1914 England Women’s hockey tour of Australia and New Zealand has an ambiguous place within wider progress narratives of women’s sport. It created some important sporting precedents, being the first time Australian and New Zealand women’s teams had taken the field. The media reception of the tour was mixed. While the social pages and some of match commentary focused on the appearance of the players, the majority presented the tour as a worthy sporting spectacle. Indeed in the final match the New Zealand team was billed as the ‘All Blacks’, the name normally associated with national men’s teams. Moreover, the symbolic importance of the tour was enhanced by the fact that the tourists were accorded the same rites and rituals accorded men’s touring teams to New Zealand: parliamentary and civic receptions; playing in the leading sporting venues and being linked to imperial bonding.     

Environmental communications in New Zealand’s skiing industry: building social legitimacy without addressing non-local transport

This qualitative study investigates how skiers’ transport is addressed in environmental communications (ECs) produced by ski areas on New Zealand’s South Island. Ski areas can build social legitimacy by positioning themselves as pro-environmental. Skiers’ transport, which accounts for more CO₂ emissions than the daily operations of ski areas in New Zealand, is one of the most pressing issues facing the industry. The topic of skiers’ transport was explored via an analysis of the ski areas’ ECs in addition to semi-structured, in-depth interviews with managers from the ski areas and with skiers. The research found that the impacts of skiers’ non-local transport are largely ignored by both ski area managers and skiers. Ski areas are viewed as detached from transport networks, they do not face pressures from skiers to mitigate those impacts, and they are thus able to build social legitimacy by engaging in and communicating relatively simple pro-environmental initiatives (such as recycling). These findings demonstrate a need to reconceptualise what constitutes a sustainable sport tourism organisation in order to account for the salience of transport-related impacts and to consider the extent to which ski areas are responsible for mitigating emissions stemming from tourists’ transport.     

从2004～2005年NBA总决赛分析现代篮球运动的发展趋势

通过对2005年NBA总决赛技术资料的分析,探讨了现代篮球运动的各种变化趋势。现代篮球运动趋向于高强度对抗、快速移动、战术的突变性、攻守平衡和心理调节能力等方面的发展。     

我国轮椅篮球运动的现状与分析

轮椅篮球是伤残人坐在轮椅上进行的篮球运动项目,所有参赛者必须坐在灵敏度较高的篮球轮椅上活动,而比赛规则也经过改良以配合坐在轮椅上运球前进,其它的规则与一般健全人篮球运动相同。我国轮椅篮球虽有二十多年的发展历史,但并没有在残奥会或世界轮椅锦标赛上取得过优异的成绩,在亚洲赛场上也没有显赫的战绩。本文通过对我国目前轮椅篮球运动开展现状的调查研究,找出影响我国轮椅篮球运动开展的主要因素,以便使我国轮椅篮球运动能够持续、健康的发展。     

Navigating the storm: A counterproductive work behavior and leadership case study in a Division I FBS School

The “Navigating the storm” case study is positioned in the context of a North American, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS marketing department. The case study scenario revolves around Steve, an ambitious graduate assistant (GA) who was recently promoted to the Marketing and Promotions Game Day Director, as he interacts with his team of employees and prepares for the first home football game of the season. This personnel management case study is centered on the interaction of six important areas: transformational leadership and implementing a leadership vision, counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs), organizational justice perceptions, equity theory, leader–member exchange (LMX) theory, and hiring processes. In reading this case study, answering the provided questions, and engaging in the suggested teaching activities, sport management students should develop an applied understanding of how these six areas come together to impact human performance in a sport industry job setting.     

The experiences of high performance women coaches: A case study of two Regional Sport Organisations

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of high performance female coaches and their managers. These experiences were examined through an analysis of the organisational values that related to the management of high performance women coaches. Specifically, organisational values were identified as powerful discourses that were key to framing coaches’ and managers’ organisational experiences, and also through which managers and coaches influence those experiences. The research utilised a case study approach of two Regional Sport Organisations in New Zealand. Commonalities and contradictions experienced by coaches and their managers were analysed. Additionally, analysis across the two organisations was undertaken. It was found that coaches and their managers do not just reflect their organisational values. Rather, they are at times active in constructing them. In order to consider and facilitate change in the management of high performance coaches, there is a need to consider this process of the creation of organisational values.     

Developing a winning sport team culture: organizational culture in theory and practice

Abstract

This case study reviews strategies for identifying, establishing and influencing sport team culture and leadership, based on Edgar Schein’s three-level theoretical model of organizational culture integrating artefacts, values and beliefs and core assumptions. Specifically, we examine the success of a professional rugby team in New Zealand, the 2014 ITM Cup champions, the Manawatu Turbos. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with past and present coaches (N = 3) and captains (N = 3). Key findings include the need to formally recognize culture, including establishing and reinforcing values, as a tangible element of sport team management practice. A flat organization structure has helped facilitate a suitable environment for collective leadership to flourish. Implications for sport and business teams are the need to acknowledge culture as a core component, and conduct a culture audit to establish the current and desired culture through an aligned combination of informal and formal transformational leadership.