Social Entrepreneurship and Sport in Romania: How Can Former Athletes Contribute to Sustainable Social Change?

Abstract

Social entrepreneurship is an underrated subject in the field of sports. For Romanian society, the fall of communism opened up new opportunities in the entrepreneurial domain. At the same time, entrepreneurship began to intersect with sports, and the results were often productive. Sport is seen as a domain that could inspire entrepreneurship through its principles. The similarities between these two fields have created the perspective of common action in sport and entrepreneurship, and this coexistence has improved during times of social change. After 1989, Romania was confronted with many challenges at the societal level, and sport offered a way to address and to tackle social problems. Through sport, some athletes decided to contribute to issues of individuals or communities. They assumed the status of a social entrepreneur, and developed activities that could inspire others. This paper intends to gather examples of such social entrepreneurship from Romania, and to identify the elements that lead to success. The research takes into consideration case studies from various domains, and this diversity helps us to better understand the challenges of Romanian sport when it interacts with social entrepreneurship.

Sport and social entrepreneurship in Germany: exploring athlete perspectives on an emerging field

“…Athletes are increasingly perceived as valuable drivers of entrepreneurship and social change (Ratten, 2015, 2020; Nauright and Wiggins, 2020; Pelak, 2005; Constantin et al , 2020; May, 2009). As a result, increasing research and activity has attempted to engage athletes in entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship (FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences, 2017; Furim Institut, 2019; Hakkers, 2019; EU Athletes, 2015).…”

“…The idea of social entrepreneurship was used for the first time by Howard Bowen in 1953 (Bowen, 2013) and was arguably popularised by Bill Drayton, the founder of Ashoka, in the 1980s (Constantin et al , 2020). Despite this history and increasing attention given to the topic, a standard definition of social entrepreneurship has yet to emerge.…”

“…As social entrepreneurship has grown, an increasing number of research and programmes have begun exploring the connections between sport and social entrepreneurship (Ratten, 2020; Maier, 2019; Constantin et al , 2020; Peterson and Schenker, 2018b; Bjärsholm, 2017). Indeed, sport is, on its own merits, recognised as a potential vehicle for social development.…”

“…Many athletes dedicate significant time to their sporting pursuits, yet sports careers are generally short, and athletes need to plan for their non-sporting careers concurrently. In that regard, entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship are seen as increasingly viable options for athletes (Ratten, 2011, 2020; Constantin et al , 2020). Numerous European projects have also begun linking these topics (Furim Institut, 2019; Tw1n, 2019; FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences, 2017).…”

Entrepreneurship and Sport: A Strategy for Social Inclusion and Change

“…Despite the unquestionable importance of entrepreneurship in the field of sport, there are only a few entrepreneurs who, despite having sports knowledge and skills, seek job opportunities in this field [ 20 , 21 ]. This lack of entrepreneurial activity in the sports sector has shifted the focus of academics towards a line of research aimed at supporting the development of entrepreneurial skills in the younger generations, especially in university students [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ] and socially excluded youth [ 26 ].…”