Sport as a vehicle for health promotion: A shared value example of corporate social responsibility

Abstract

Professional sport organizations are increasingly encouraging physical and mental wellness by developing and deploying health promotion activities via socially responsible programming and messaging. However, delivery, deployment, and scope issues, all of which limit observable and sustainable impacts on health promotion and behavior, encumber many socially responsible programs. The authors frame the study using a shared value perspective to demonstrate that sport managers can effectively promote health when the professional sport organization is concurrently attempting to deliver social and business value. To illustrate this approach, the authors used a health-related intervention program funded and delivered by a professional sport league as the research context. The authors undertook a mixed-method, quasi-experimental study to determine the potential to achieve social value (e.g., physical health and mental wellness) and business value (e.g., team, league, and sport affinity, and patronage). The results show that the business-centric effects were stronger among a group of youth beneficiaries than they were among some health- and wellness-centric variables. The authors discuss the significant effects through a shared value lens and posit several areas for future research.