Governance in Sport Analysis and Application

At its core, sport governance encompasses two key elements: power and decision making. To truly grasp a sport organization’s purpose and structure, it’s essential to understand who wields power and which decisions are made by those who possess it.

Regrettably, the abuse of power, coupled with ineffective governance and lackluster leadership, has fostered widespread corruption within sport organizations, a situation that calls for a renewed commitment to practicing principles of good governance and restoring integrity and ethical conduct.

In response, the updated and enhanced Governance in Sport: Analysis and Application, Second Edition, aims to equip students with the skills to navigate both ordinary and extraordinary situations encountered in the oversight and authority of sport organizations at all levels of sport.

Governance in Sport examines sport governance from three broad analytical and applied perspectives:

• A legal and managerial overview of practices, processes, and policies in sport organizations, encompassing ethical behavior, effective leadership, decision making, and policy development
• A framework of the structures and functions of regulatory agencies that govern state, national, regional, and international sports
• An applied overview of governance and authority in selected sectors of the industry, including professional sports, amateur sports, sports media, sports betting, esports, and more

Through examinations of contemporary hot-button issues and compelling new case studies–covering the Ukraine invasion; Brittney Griner; transgender athletes in sports; LIV Golf versus the PGA; conference realignment; name, image, and likeness (NIL) issues; the Kanjuruhan Stadium catastrophe; and the workplace misconduct in the Washington Commanders organization–students will see how governance differs in sport organizations at various levels in the United States and around the world.

Additional new features include the following:

• Headlines begin each chapter, calling out incidents of corruption within the sport industry.
• Rules and Regulations Corners provide quick overviews of policies and laws affecting weighty issues.
• Combating Corruption sections offer best practices for preventing and minimizing behavior deemed illegal, unethical, or counterintuitive.
• Governance in Action case sidebars explore real-world examples of conflicts and conundrums related to the chapter topic and include discussion questions; suggested responses to the questions can be found in the instructor guide.
• Recorded lectures by author Bonnie Tiell are available for each chapter of the book. Instructors can use these videos to enhance their lectures.

With Governance in Sport, students will develop an understanding of where power resides, how decisions are made, and the impact of those factors on the goals and structures of sport organizations.