Family business and sport entrepreneurship

Abstract

PurposeMany sport enterprises involve family members either as owners, employees or supporters, depending on the circumstances. Despite the embedded way families define and help to build sport enterprises, there is a lack of linkage in the academic literature between family business and sport entrepreneurship. The aim of this article is to understand the linkage in more detail by focusing on the way sport, family and entrepreneurship are embedded in society.Design/methodology/approachDue to the exploratory nature of the study, a qualitative approach was undertaken to understand the feelings and perceptions surrounding the process of sport entrepreneurship in family businesses.FindingsThe findings suggest that family businesses view the process of sport entrepreneurship as being context-dependent that relies on the interaction of family members for its success. This means that networking and co-creation are part of this process.Research limitations/implicationsAs the role of families in sport enterprises becomes more acknowledged, it is important that research keeps up-to-date with this trend. Thus, the findings of this article will help more family businesses with their sport-related ventures.Originality/valueThis article is the first to explicitly examine the linkage between family entrepreneurship and sport entrepreneurship, thereby paving the way for more research to examine this interesting research area.