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PurposeThe usage of sport stadia for public service is increasingly common and may come in different forms. In the COVID-19 pandemic, this included sport entities hosting mass COVID-19 vaccinations at their stadiums. The purpose of this study was to examine the branding effects of a COVID-19 mass vaccination center as communicated by (1) a sport entity (i.e. stadium and its two teams) and (2) the public.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analyzed the entity's social media messages related to the mass vaccination center for the three groups, the stadium and its two sports team tenants (N = 48) while comparing the public's social media content about the vaccination center (N = 187). An empirical material coding analysis was conducted.FindingsThe sport entity's posts revealed 12 codes, five categories and two themes communicated about their brand: In this together–community impact and showcasing brand attributes. The public posts analysis revealed 21 codes, eight categories and four themes, creating brand awareness, establishing/reaffirming brand attributes, affective response and in this together–community response.Originality/valueThe identification of the two organization themes and four public themes provided an initial examination of the mass vaccination efforts' impact on the sport entity's brand. With the rise of stadia being utilized as public service venues (e.g. voting centers and disaster shelters), the results of the study can provide guidance to communicating the host team's brand during these times. Results also suggest the public perception of such service reflected positive opportunities for brand exposure and subsequent effects for the teams.
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Background: The 2020 Major League Baseball Season (MLB) demonstrated season disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in training and seasonal time frames may be associated with higher rates of injury. Purpose: To use publicly available data to compare injury rates during the 2015-2019 seasons, COVID-19 shortened season (2020), and the 2021 season stratified by body region and position (pitchers versus position players). Study Design: A retrospective cohort study utilizing publicly available data. Methods: MLB players who competed in 1+ seasons between 2015-2021 were included and stratified by position (pitcher, position player). Incidence rate (IR), reported by 1000 x Athlete-Game Exposures (AGEs), was calculated for each season, and stratified by position and body region. Poisson regressions were performed for all injuries and stratified by position to determine association between season and injury incidence. Subgroup analyses were performed on the elbow, groin/hip/thigh, shoulder. Results: Four thousand, two hundred and seventy-four injuries and 796,502 AGEs across 15,152 players were documented. Overall IR was similar across seasons (2015-2019:5.39; 2020:5.85; 2021:5.04 per 1000 AGEs). IR remained high for the groin/hip/thigh for position players (2015-2019:1.7; 2020:2.0; 2021:1.7 per 1000 AGEs). There was no difference in injury rates between 2015-2019 and 2020 seasons [1.1 (0.9-1.2), p=0.310]. The 2020 season demonstrated a significant increase in elbow injuries [2.7 (1.8-4.0), p<0.001]; when stratified by position, this increase remained significant for pitchers [pitchers: 3.5 (2.1-5.9), p<0.001; position players: 1.8 (0.9-3.6), p=0.073]. No other differences were observed. Conclusion: The groin/hip/thigh demonstrated the highest IR in 2020 among position players across all season time frames, indicating that continued injury mitigation for this region is necessary. When stratified by body region, elbow injury rates among pitchers demonstrated 3.5 times the rate of injury in 2020 compared to previous seasons, impacting injury burden for the most vulnerable body region among pitchers. Level of Evidence: Level III.
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It's no secret that Las Vegas NV is well equipped to handle large-scale events, hosting an average of 300 major events each year--including National Football League (NFL) and National Hockey League (NHL) games, NASCAR races, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events, World Boxing Council-sanctioned matches, and high-profile college football games like the PAC-12 championship and ESPN-owned Las Vegas Bowl. Added to the mix are all-star celebrity residencies that helped to fuel the city's steady drumbeat of more than 42 million annual visitors in 2019. Powerhouse headliners like Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood, Adele, and Usher, in addition to major music festivals like Electric Daisy Carnival and Life is Beautiful, ensure that Las Vegas keeps its moniker as the "Entertainment Capital of the World." Added to that are more than 20,000 conventions of all sizes, including 60 of the world's largest, that easily make Las Vegas one of the country's top convention destinations.
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[...]determined to see some type of live game, a small group of us grabbed a box of grilled hot dogs and attended a game between Paradise Valley Community College and Mesa Community College. Shortly after I returned home, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced an agreement with the players had been struck, and they would be reporting to spring training in a matter of days. [...]there is something here for every baseball fan.
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Kaplan reviews COVID Curveball: An Inside View of the 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers World Championship Season by Tim Neverett.
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A home advantage is present in most professional sports leagues. Spectators may be a major factor in home advantage, but empirical results have been mixed. Professional games were played without spectators during the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigated home advantage in Major League Baseball (MLB) during 2020 as compared with the 2015–2019 seasons. A total of 13,044 regular-season games (898 in 2020 and 12,146 in 2015–2019) were analyzed. The sum of wins above replacement of all players was used as an indicator of team quality. The likelihood of a home-team win with spectators was not significantly different to that without spectators (odds ratio = 1.068;95% confidence interval = 0.932–1.224, p > 0.05). The relative home advantage, percentage of home wins of total wins by a team in a specific season, was not significantly different across years, team quality, and attendance. Factorial analysis of variance models that included the variables of year, team quality, and attendance also revealed that none of these variables significantly affected the relative home advantage. The results suggest that spectators may not be an important factor of home advantage in MLB.
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Purpose>This paper aims to highlight the need for corporations to engage politically to create a more functional capitalist system.Design/methodology/approach>Selective review of relevant economic and sociopolitical developments is presented in this paper.Findings>There is a growing movement among economists and commentators to hold corporations accountable for political engagement which they ignore at their peril.Originality/value>While individual strands of this story have been discussed before, the subject has never been handled from the perspective of corporate reputation in a comprehensive manner.
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Purpose>This paper aims to explore the emerging market of video game streaming and eSports to provide readers with an understanding of the nature and content of this quickly growing entertainment industry. eSports or eGaming is the playing of video games for competition and for spectators by professionals. Popular platforms, eGaming celebrities and revenue sources are introduced. Building upon this knowledge, the authors then show the opportunities marketers have to use this medium for branding, promotional and retailing purposes. Challenges to these aims are also discussed.Design/methodology/approach>The eGaming and eSports industry is summarized by studying its evolution and current state. A thorough review of the players and their possible revenue sources is presented. Likewise, a survey of marketing-related tactics and challenges is discussed to help readers not only understand the field but also use the industry’s growth.Findings>This paper provides valuable information to understand why this new market of video game streaming is rapidly increasing and what impact it will have on consumers, brands and marketing strategists.Originality/value>This paper is unique in the sense that in one place it not only summarizes the advent and growth of an evolving field but also shows the opportunities that firms have to take advantage of this unique medium for connecting with customers. Firms are at the same time cautioned to consider increasing challenges with this new industry.
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Competitive video gaming, presently defined and widely known as eSports, has been rising rapidly in popularity. Accordingly, research in eSports has gained interest for scholars to study the eSport industry in greater depth. However, much research has assumed eSports as the minority compared to traditional sport and rarely has explored the implications that can apply to the established traditional sport industry and marketing practices. In fact, eSport viewership is now similar to or higher than traditional sports, such as Major League Baseball (MLB). Thus, the eSport industry has now advanced to the point where their unique characteristics can significantly impact the overall sport industry. As eSports has grown rapidly enough to be considered as the mainstream industry, identifying the unique but positive aspects of eSports and considering applying eSports' strengths to traditional sports is necessary. This research is one of the first attempts to provide the unique characteristics of eSports by presenting an in-depth comparison with traditional sports and a comprehensive literature review. This study's contribution will be to broaden research opportunities in eSports and marketing literature. Ideas for future research and directions will also be discussed.