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The Institutionalization of Sports Organizations: A Legitimacy Perspective

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Sports Management as an Emerging Economic Activity

Abstract

Under the framework of institutional theory, the role of legitimacy on the soccer clubs activity is studied. For this reason, the actions that provide legitimacy and their relationship with the clubs results are analyzed. Through a review of the two most recognized Spanish soccer clubs, the results of this study suggest that cognitive and emotional types of legitimacy are essential for the institutionalization of soccer clubs, even more than other types of legitimacy such as pragmatic or regulative legitimacy. This study also suggests a relationship between economic performance and clubs legitimacy. These results broaden the organizations’ current legitimacy process knowledge. These results also help sports entities managers to focus their strategic efforts on those legitimacy actions which are more relevant to their constituents.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Economía de la Empresa, Rey Juan Carlos University and European Academy of Management and Business Economics (AEDEM), Paseo de los Artilleros s/n, 28032, Madrid, Spain

    Francisco Díez-Martín, Alicia Blanco-González, Susana Díaz-Iglesias & Miguel Prado-Román

Authors
  1. Francisco Díez-Martín
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  2. Alicia Blanco-González
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  3. Susana Díaz-Iglesias
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  4. Miguel Prado-Román
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francisco Díez-Martín .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Organización de Empresas, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain

    Marta Peris-Ortiz

  2. Faculty of Business, Finances and Tourism, University of Extremadura, Caceres, Spain

    José Álvarez-García

  3. Faculty of Business Administration and Tourism, Department of Business Organisation and Marketing, University of Vigo (Campus of Ourense), Ourense, Spain

    María de la Cruz Del Río-Rama

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Díez-Martín, F., Blanco-González, A., Díaz-Iglesias, S., Prado-Román, M. (2017). The Institutionalization of Sports Organizations: A Legitimacy Perspective. In: Peris-Ortiz, M., Álvarez-García, J., Del Río-Rama, M. (eds) Sports Management as an Emerging Economic Activity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63907-9_6

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