An examination of sports sponsorship from a small business perspective

Abstract

This paper responds to the need for more investigation into the "conceptual underpinnings of sponsorships" (Gardner & Shuman, 1988, p.44) by investigating the spectrum of opportunities that are available to small firms - whether as sports donors or as bona fide sponsors - through the prism of small business Stages of Development theory. A multiple case study approach is employed to explore the nature of sponsorship activities being undertaken by small enterprises and to contribute to the advancement of the authors' 'philanthropy-sponsorship' continuum. This research makes two contributions. First, it presents the classifications of 'patronage' versus 'semistrong sponsorship' versus 'fully functioning sponsorship' relationships, based on the nature of the expected benefits. Second, it evaluates the small business/sports property interface from the perspective of small business phases of development and proposes a framework for linking the small firm to sports sponsorship outcomes.

Sponsoring Sports Teams with Low Media Exposure: An Exploratory Investigation on Small and Medium Sized B2B Firms

“…Funds usually collected by the general managers of minor league sports teams that traditionally have lesser fan bases and smaller budgets, like amateur and collegiate teams, have always taken the form of a real fundraising activity (Zinger & O'Reilly, 2010). Any amount of money received and every sponsorship contract signed is therefore a form of subsidization and financial support to the sports club (Meenaghan, 1983).…”

“…In the past these forms of patronage often were the response of charitable responsibility from local businesses to the community. In the case of minor league teams it was rare that sponsors were expecting a real short-term economic return deriving from this marketing strategy (Zinger & O'Reilly, 2010). According to Zinger & O'Reilly (2010), clubs used to leverage the sport passions and affinity of the business owners in order to receive donations.…”

“…The smallest businesses, as well as commercial giants, take advantage of this marketing tool, even if it is only rooted at the city level. Small brands, new and often unknown to most people, are always present on the shirts of teams of any sport or of individual athletes, often risking not getting the desired investment return (Zinger & O'Reilly, 2010). …”

Consumers' Perceived Functions of and Attitude Toward Corporate Sponsors of Small-scale Amateur Sporting Events

“…This may be attributed to the limited funding received by small-scale events (Zinger & O'Reilly, 2010). As such, consumers of small-scale sporting events are receptive toward having more sponsors to support the event.…”

“…One perennial issue faced by small-scale sporting events is the difficulty in garnering funds to manage the event. Consequently, event organisers often look to fund-raising activities to 4 finance the events (Zinger & O'Reilly, 2010). Unlike small-scale sporting events, large-scale sporting events often gain huge publicity globally through the media (Hlabane, n.d.).…”