MEMOIRE

P r é s e n t é e n v u e d e l ' o b t e n t i o n d u M a s t e r e n S c i e n c e s é c o n o m i q u e s , f i n a l i t é M a n a g e m e n t S c i e n c e

Winning the Sport Business when you are a minor sport: A Delphi study

Par Hung-Vi Dang-Vu

Directeur: Professeur Bernhard Adriaensens Assesseur: Professeur Luc Vandeputte

Année académique 2012 -2013

Année académique 20[ xx ] - 20[xx ]

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Acknowledgments

I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude towards the

people who have contributed to this thesis:

Bernhard Adriaensens – my promoter who had constantly guided me in the

right direction with constructive criticism.

Luc Vandeputte – my assessor who provided me the contact of all the experts

interviewed during the research study.

The Respondents – I would like also to express my gratitude to the ones who

have taken their time and effort answering my questionnaire and survey.

____________________

Hung-Vi Dang-Vu

SBS-EM

29/07/2013

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Table of contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................... 4

Glossary ........................................................................................................................... 5

1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 6

2. Why a study dedicated to the minor sport? ................................................................... 8

2.1 Opportunities around the minor sport ............................................................................. 9

3. Case study: Ultimate Fighting Championship, The rise of the MMA .............................. 11

3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 11

3.2 The rise of the MMA ....................................................................................................... 11

3.1 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 15

4. Methodology ............................................................................................................. 16

4.1 Instrumentation .............................................................................................................. 16

4.2 Subjects ........................................................................................................................... 18

4.3 Data collection ................................................................................................................ 19

4.4 First round Delphi ........................................................................................................... 20

4.5 Second round Delphi ...................................................................................................... 21

5. Analysis and discussion .............................................................................................. 21

5.1 Results of the first round Delphi ..................................................................................... 21

5.2 Results of the second round Delphi................................................................................ 25

5.3 Possible reasons of a non-consensus ............................................................................. 32

6. Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 35

7. Further recommendation ........................................................................................... 37

8. References ................................................................................................................. 38

9. Annexes ..................................................................................................................... 45

9.1 The questionnaire ........................................................................................................... 45

9.2 The online survey............................................................................................................ 47

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Abstract

Given the importance and the evolution of the technology, especially in the

entertainment industry, the sport has become a popular business and reveals to be a

lucrative market for entrepreneurs and stakeholders. Yet, there is a lack of research

around minor sports and their role within the sport business when determining

whether or not, a non-popular sport is able to claim a major pie of the sport industry

for the next decades, regarding its capacity to build an awareness within the market,

to take advantage of the new media, to attract sponsors, and to translate its popularity

into revenues. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to examine strategies a minor sport

should take into account in order to win the sport business through the Delphi

method, a qualitative research method most often neglected among the graduates.

These results indicate that the environment from which, the sport benefits today, is

positive and needs to get professionalized as soon as possible in order to handle

bigger business environments. Sport governing bodies need to comply and evolve

hand by hand with the entertainment industry and beyond; a minor sport can rely on

the new opportunities offered by new media and the growing ambitions of the

Generation Y.

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Glossary

Abbreviation Meaning

AFL

Australian Football League

CEO Chief Executive Officer

CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization

EA Electronic Arts

FFSA Fédération Française des Sports Automobiles

FITA The International Archery Federation

IMMAF International Mixed Martial Arts Federation

MMA Mixed Martial Arts

NFL National Football League

PPV Pay-Per-View

SD Standard Deviation

SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats. Business framework

THQ Toy Head-Quarters. North American developer and publisher of video

games

UFC

WWE

Ultimate Fighting Championship

World Wrestling Entertainment

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1. Introduction

Over the years, the economic dimension of sport has literally blowup. The

sport itself has evolved from the status of social activity to the status of business

opportunity since it became a lucrative industry for media and companies (Zagnoli,

2006; Radicchi, 2006). Indeed, new digital technologies such as internet, video-on-

demand, mobile phones, WebTV have changed the way a sport can be produced,

delivered and consumed, which represent a huge opportunity for sport organizations,

media, sponsors or public (Santomier, 2006; Shuart, 2006).

Today, with the rise of new digital technologies, a real convergence is seen

between the sport and entertainment industries as sport offers valuable contents to

media and digital technologies remain a non-negligible promotional tool for the sport.

Indeed, live sports broadcasting remains the most important source of revenues for

sport organizations besides ticketing or merchandising (Bolotny, 2006; Bourg, 2006).

Moreover, the sport business is becoming a buyer‟s market since it constantly needs

to offer attractive contents to broadcasters in order to stay in the game (Back, 2004;

Blatter, 2004; Bughin, 2004). This exposure is essential for attracting sponsors and for

the promotion of the sport as a whole (Grant, 2008; Graeme, 2008). Without media,

sport events would not have any meaning at all. Between the 60‟s and 80‟s, the sport

played a significant role in the growth of television (Whannel, 2009). Television

coupled with sponsorship changed the way sport was perceived, and unlike many

other televised shows, sport was offering to the public, an unpredictable live viewing

experience (Whannel, 2009).

In this new sport marketplace, only the most innovative organizations can

succeed, while organizations stuck on their origin will lose their market shares slowly

and slowly (Mahony, 2001; Howard, 2001). Indeed, since the global recession in

2008, sport marketing business models shifted and a re-adaptation within the

organizational structure is needed (Goldman, 2011). However, the sport has continued

to thrive through major events. While many industries are still affected by the

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financial crisis, sport remains a growing market (PwC, 2011). In 2011, a study led by

PwC support that global sports market revenues will rise at a compound annual

growth rate of 3.7% from US$121.4 billion in 2010 to US$145.3 billion in 2015.

Improved economic conditions and new digital technologies are argued to be the

future two main drivers of the global sport revenues increase. Then, the sport able to

offer the most entertaining and exciting content will claim the major pie of the market

share (PwC, 2011).

Although many economic papers have studied the sport business or new media

opportunities, there is a lack of research specifically focused on winning the sport

business, on how a sport can grow in a competitive market such as the sport industry

and become a significant player. Since the industry has evolved very quickly,

strategies for marketers and sport organizations have to follow in order to stay in the

game and minor sports can still improve their games in order to increase their market

shares.

For the purpose of this study, winning the sport business will not only be

based on popularity, attracting players but also on being lucrative. In many cases, a

minor sport is considered as unpopular or confidential. The result of this study will be

applied through a short case study, showing the example of an initially minor sport

which became today the most broadcasted sport in the world, and the Delphi method.

Based on the information collected from the literature review, four main

questions were elaborated in order to define the research question.

- How to build awareness through the very competitive sport industry for a

minor sport?

- How to attract sponsors?

- How to take advantage of the new media as a minor sport?

- How to be profitable?

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Consequently, the purpose of the present paper is to investigate whether or not

a minor player can win the sport business. If yes, which strategies he needs to take on

path.

The first part of this paper will be devoted to the minor sport itself as the

concept of non-popular sport is too vague and may be unclear or misunderstood by

people. A single definition will be developed and used through the study in order to

focus on the problematic. Moreover, some examples will be demonstrated in order to

be aware of all the opportunities that a non-traditional sport can bring. Then, a case

study concerning the MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), a former minor sport will be

analyzed in order to highlight the strategies which brought the sport to the top of the

sport industry. After that, a chapter will be dedicated to the methodology adopted,

especially about the Delphi method, a qualitative method which remains little used

among the research studies. In this chapter will be also explained, how the subjects of

the study have been chosen, and how the different iterations have been prepared.

Following the analysis of the results and the discussion, the paper will finally

conclude with a couple of recommendations.

2. Why a study dedicated to the minor sport?

According to Furman and Balin (1998), a minor sport is a sport that is not as

followed or popular as major sports. Because there are so many different sports in the

world, minor sports are the one which are daily practiced but do not benefit from

media footprint. Unlike commercial sports which are able to show off their stars to the

media, minor sports are neglected because they do not support, and they are not

supported by “the routinization of sports news gathering”, as explained by Nicholson

(2007) in his book “Sport and Media, managing Nexus”.

Surfing is an example of a minor sport. Indeed, the sport is strongly dependent

on natural conditions and major competitions are scheduled over ten days. This

unpredictability is the main reason why Surfing is not a good deal for a live

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broadcasting. Media companies prioritize sports which are able to specify a broadcast

time without uncertainty (Nicholson, 2007).

2.1. Opportunities around the minor sport

Historically, the former Soviet Union, during the preparation of the Cold War,

was reluctant with every kind of sport adopting the Western capitalism culture.

However, they realized that some of these western sports could be used as a powerful

tool of cultural and political warfare. Since this moment, some „capitalistic‟ sports or

sports considered minor were developed within the Soviet Union in order to be played

in international competitions such as the Olympic Games. The objective was to gain

more medals and show to the world their superiority in sports (Westerbeek, 2003;

Smith, 2003).

In a lucrative perspective, non-popular sports have represented for a long time

a business opportunity for entrepreneurs when big-league sport were costing too much

money. When cycling was still unpopular in the United States, the entrepreneur

Robert Frazier launched a bicycle team for no more than $7.500 (Kansas, 1991). In

1995, cities already saw major benefits in minor sports events: sky diving, softball,

fencing or shuffle board events were seen as lucrative sources for souvenir-shop sales,

restaurant reservations and hotel bookings. Indeed, 4907 rooms were booked in hotels

because of the Senior Softball World Series in Orlando, with an economic impact of

1.8 million dollars. On the other hand, the World Skydiving Championship and the

National Amateur Shuffleboard Championship attracted more than 8000 people with

an economic impact of 1.6 million dollars (Mitchell, 1995).

More recently, because sponsorship costs are increasing dramatically, many

marketers are beginning to explore minor sports as potential beneficiaries of their

budgets. The London 2012 Olympics was a good opportunity to advertise sports

which do not get usually media attention in the UK (Croft, 2006). Media is the key

element for any sponsorship deal and as new media is offering greater coverage and

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higher level of exposure for any sports, experts agreed that the London 2012

Olympics was a major boost for minor sports (Cary, 2012). There were gigantic

opportunities for brands to gain value without spending enormous amount of money.

Sponsors needed to invest in minor sport in which the UK had great chance to win

medals like equestrians sports where they actually won three gold medals. Besides,

taekwondo, sailing and volleyball also gained a huge interest during the Games. The

Volleyball England website experienced an 850% increase in traffic with the

following keyword: „club finder‟ and „get into volleyball‟ (Cary, 2012).

In France, new media permitted minor sport such as Fencing to keep on track.

Indeed, the time devoted to the sport in Sport TV magazine was insignificant. Thanks

to WebTV, PPV and Internet, minor sport can now be entirely followed through the

dedicated media platforms. For example, a federation like the FFSA (Federation

Française des sports automobiles) which counts more than 60000 licensees, made a

partnership with Dailymotion in order to create a totally free WebTV dedicated to

automobile sports other than formula 1 such as Rally or Karting. The greatest asset of

the Internet is that it is able to target and satisfy the expectations of a particular niche

market (Zilbertin, 2013).

According to Westerbeek and Smith (2003), minor sports are seen today as an

alternative to traditional national sports: “The cinema, Internet, video games and the

development of other `minor' sports has cut into the market for traditional national

sports. People have become increasingly mobile and are able to choose between an

increasing number of leisure and entertainment alternatives. This trend is continuing

as many more major events and festivals in the arts and sports are conducted. The

choice between competing leisure activities has never been more demanding”

(Westerbeek & Smith, 2003). All these facts make the study of minor sports within

the sport business really interesting as the industry has experienced an economic

boom that few others sectors can match (Dunne, 2012).

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3. Case study: Ultimate Fighting Championship, the rise of the

MMA

3.1. Introduction

The modern MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) as we know today remains the most

complete martial art, which imply good striking and grappling techniques, both

standing and on the ground. The MMA was developed in North America by the

Gracie family, founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC in 1993. This

organization is the first and most important MMA promotion company in the world.

In less than twenty years, The MMA builds an incredible awareness all around the

globe and his main organization, the UFC was estimated in 2010 at more than a

billion dollars (Gregory, 2009; Osborne, 2009).

This case study shows the evolution of the MMA, from its early age to the

status of superstar in the sport industry. All strategies which permit the most complete

martial art to win the sport business are emphasized in this case study.

3.2. The rise of the MMA

At its creation in 1993, the MMA competition was held as a single-elimination

with an eight-man tournament, involving the greatest fighters of different disciplines

in order to find out the best martial art. Despite the UFC‟s early success with more

than 86.592 pay-per-view television subscribers for the first competition (Newport,

1995), the sport was banned in thirty-six states because of his lack of clear standard of

rules in 1997 (Gentry, 2001). Indeed, the MMA at that time did not have any clear set

of rules protecting fighters against tricks like hair pulling, head butting or groin

strikes. Thus, the UFC loosed its contract with major PPV distributors. Opportunities

were then clearly limited for the sport‟s growth. Consequently, the main MMA

organization decided to change some rules and increase its cooperation with state

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athletics commissions. The UFC had his first US sanctioned MMA event, under the

New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, in September 2000 (Trembow, 2006).

According to Back, Blatter and Bughin (2004), principals in

McKinsey&Company, changing rules in sport is sometimes necessary to increase

popularity and in this case, acceptance.

Under the brink of bankruptcy, the UFC was bought in 2001 for 2 million

dollars by Dana White, a boxing promoter and The Fertitta brothers, executives of

Station Casinos. They created ZUFFA LLC, a parent company controlling the UFC

and one of the Fertitta was able to secure sanctioning in the state of Nevada in 2011

through his relationships (Schorn, 2006). Thus, the MMA organization made its come

back on the PPV and slowly began to regain popularity, advertising and corporate

sponsorships (Martin, 2009). Tickets revenues increased and PPV revenues became as

high as before the controversy in 1997. The UFC signed its first television deal with

FoxsportsNet in June 2002 (UFC Press Release, 2010). Although the popularity of the

MMA increased day by day, the promotion company still experienced financial loss

since 2004 (Stein, 2006). The sport was still unprofitable but was on the halfway to

win the sport business.

According to Back, et al. (2004), when a sport sees his popularity and lucrative

TV contracts increasing, it needs to adapt to a bigger business environment. Then,

hiring high executives is a solution to professionalize the sport.

In order to cope the financial loss, Zuffa took opportunity of the new media

and created in 2005, a reality-TV show called „The Ultimate Fighter‟, broadcasted

through the channel Spike TV which staged amateur MMA fighters competing for a

contract in the UFC. According to the actual president of UFC, Dana White, this

strategy saved the MMA Promotion Company. Many incremental innovations came

out after this success, Spike TV started to offer more UFC content such as „UFC

Unleashed‟ or „UFC Fight Night‟. In 2010, The UFC reached one of his highest

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audiences by attracting a famous Youtube street fighter, Kevin „Kimbo Slice‟

Ferguson, with more than 5.3 million total viewers.

According to Back, et al. (2004), Sport organizations have to steadily study the

potential of new media such as broadband, video on demand, when signing rights with

a partner for several years ahead.

This partnership with Spike TV allowed the UFC to maximize the overall

exposure for the sport of MMA as a whole, by spending a few on advertising. Indeed,

main UFC programs were diffused on Spike TV and the organization was able to

generate important sponsorship revenues through this channel. The „UFC 52‟ reached

300.000 PPV (Metlzer, 2009), „UFC 57‟ reached 410.000 PPV (Philpott, 2009) and

„UFC 66‟ reached more than one million pay-per-view buys (Trembow, 2007). In

2006, The UFC got more than 222.766.000 dollars PPV revenues in a year, which was

the PPV industry‟s record at that time, exceeding the one from both Boxing and

WWE (Trembow, 2007). In addition, in July 2007, a gambling website, Bodoglife,

specified that the betting revenues from the UFC would be higher than the one from

Boxing (Hartness, 2007).

According to Back, et al. (2004), a coherent branding is the key success for the

sale of licensed sport gear and services.

In 2008, the MMA reached the status of superstar in the sport industry. The

success of the UFC led to the creation of many others MMA promotion companies all

over the world, with their own business model in order to tackle the lead company

which was capturing more than 90% of the industry‟s revenue (Miller, 2008). In order

to expand and reach new markets, Zuffa made the acquisition of World Extreme

Cagefighting and PRIDE, respectively in December 2006 and 2007 (Associated press,

2007). The former is a Californian-based company; the latter is a Japanese-based

company, one of the main UFC competitors at that time.

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This acquisition strategy permits the UFC to build a coherent branding

aligning its image as close as possible with the MMA as a whole. For example, many

top PRIDE fighters were rebranded under the UFC name. It was a win-win strategy

both for the MMA and the UFC.

According to Back, et al. (2004), a sport needs to be flexible on the calendar of

events by being able to change or create a new calendar as much as needed, in order

to capture the highest broadcast revenues possible.

To compete against its challengers, the UFC was offering free television

program at the same time than other MMA organization programs in order to capture

their audiences and revenues.

Back, Blatter and Bughin (2004) mentioned also that building partnership

between sport and companies from gear, beverage or sport equipment can benefit to

sport organizations, athletes and attract sponsorship. Today, the UFC has many

contracts in marketing partnerships according to his image such as, Affliction in

apparel, Bud light in beverage, TapouT in sport equipment, Harley Davidsons, EA,

U.S Marines and many others.

Each sport needs to develop and promote super athletes in order to maximize

sport exposure and overall sport benefit. In the MMA industry, many success stories

came from that strategy. Moreover, when a sport mature locally, it needs to reach new

markets (Back et al., 2004). The UFC broke into the Mexican Boxing market by

developing two Mexican super fighters, Cain Velasquez and Roger Huerta. The same

success came to United Kingdom with the rising of the English-born fighter, Michael

Bisping. Strikeforce, another MMA organization, signed in 2009 the number one-

ranked fighter at that time, Fedor Emelianenko, which brought more than 5.5 million

viewers (Hunt, 2009). To confirm his strategy to win the worldwide sport business,

the UFC expanded into Portugal and signed a Chinese TV deal in June 2009 (Stein,

2009; Show, 2009). Later, on July 2009, The UFC signed a contract with Grupo

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Televisa S.A.B, the largest Spanish speaking media company in the world

(Samuelson, 2009). Nonetheless, Flash entertainment, an Abu Dhabi-based company

bought 10 percent stake of Zuffa LLC in 2010. Consequently, the UFC built in Abu

Dhabi a new arena for hosting major UFC events (Cofield, 2010).

According to Back, Blatter and Bughin (2004), sport needs to continuously

consider innovative approaches which can emphasize excitement, distinctiveness in

order to reach new profit. In 2009, the UFC diversified its portfolio by releasing „UFC

Undisputed‟, a video game in partnership with THQ. On the other hand, Strikeforce

organized the first MMA female championship broadcasted on cable in June 2009

(Hunt, 2009).

3.3. Conclusion

The MMA is definitely winning the sport business. In less than twenty years,

The MMA became one of the most viewed sports in the world, overtaking boxing in

the sport combat industry. According to the UFC‟s Chief Executive Officer, Dana

White, the success of the MMA mainly came from the fact that the sport is easy to

follow in media devices, people just get combat sports. Moreover, the MMA was

strongly using social media in order to promote fighters and its profile around the

world. The UFC was offering an annual bonus pot of $240.000 for the most active

tweeters. Following this success, The IMMAF (International Mixed Martial Arts

Federation) was founded the 29th

February 2012 to further the development and

recognition of the sport (Evans, 2012). In 2009, Standard and Poor‟s rated Zuffa LLC,

the parent company of the UFC with a BB- grade, stable but without investment grade

(Standard and Poor‟s, 2009). Indeed, despite its continuous growth, the sport

organization started to be profitable only from 2006, mostly thanks to a successful

PPV strategy in the home market. In 2009, the UFC‟s gross PPV revenues were about

$362 millions in which the company retained nearly 60% while the rest went to the

broadcaster (Evans, 2012). Nevertheless, if winning the sport business takes into

account the fact to be popular and profitable, the MMA is definitively on the right

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path. This accomplishment is the result from many strategies the sport organizations

successfully drove. The MMA was able to change its rules in order to be officially

recognized as an athletic sport, MMA organizations get professionalized to handle

bigger business environment and the MMA took opportunity from the change in

technology. Moreover, MMA organizations applied coherent branding in order to

align the brand with the sport combat, calendar events were rescheduled to fully

capture the broadcast revenues, coherent marketing partnership was handled and

brought additional source of revenues, Sport endorsement was used to reach new

markets, and nevertheless, the MMA was able to consider innovative approaches such

as a feminine league in order to extend its actual portfolio.

4. Methodology

The focus of this study was to obtain information about strategies which can

enable minor sport to win, or at least to play a significant role within the business of

sport. Then, a qualitative research needed to be performed through a panel of experts

who have extensive knowledge in the sport business. Indeed, a quantitative research

would not have any meaning at all. Consequently, a classical Delphi method, which

exclusively uses open-ended questions in the initial iteration, was an attractive method

to solicit the subject‟s expertise (Hsu, 2007; Sandford, 2007). The Delphi study is a

great research tool for graduate students completing masters when the goal is to

improve understanding about problems, opportunities, solutions, or to develop

forecasts. It is a good method to use when there is a lack of information about a

problem or a phenomenon (Skulmoski, 2007; Hartman, 2007; Krahn, 2007). The lack

of research in the field of minor sports behavior within the sport industry is an ideal

opportunity to experiment the Delphi method which does not enjoy great popularity.

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4.1. Instrumentation

The Delphi study is an iterative process which involves a group of respondents

within their domain of expertise. These respondents anonymously reply to

questionnaires and successively receive feedback from the „group response‟, after

which the process repeats itself. The process stops only when the research question is

answered. The goal is to reduce the range of responses and arrive at something closer

to expert consensus. Delbecq, Van de Ven, and Gustafson (1975) consider the

consensus to be usually reached from two to four rounds. The method requires a lot of

time and energy as the accuracy of the method is depending on many factors such as

time frames for conducting and completing a study, subject selection or the possibility

of low response rates (Hsu, 2007; Sandford, 2007).

The Delphi method has been developed by the Rand Corporation in the 1950s,

originally to forecast the impact of technology on the Citizen life. While common

surveys try to identify what is the best solution according to a specific issue, the

Delphi technique attempts to identify the “what could/should be” by conducting

detailed examinations and discussions of a specific issue for the purpose of goal

setting, policy investigation, or predicting the occurrence of future events (Ulschak,

1983; Turoff & Hiltz, 1996; Ludwig, 1997; Miller, 2006).

According to Delbecq, et al. (1975), the Delphi technique can be used in

planning situations to achieve the following objectives: “To determine or develop a

range of possible program alternatives, to explore or expose underlying assumptions

or information leading to different judgments, to seek out information which may

generate a consensus on the part of the respondent group, to correlate informed

judgments on a topic spanning a wide range of disciplines, and to educate the

respondent group as to the diverse and interrelated aspects of the topic” (Delbecq et

al., 1975, p. 11).

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The purpose of the Delphi technique in this case was the third item mentioned

above, explicitly, to seek out information which may generate a consensus on the part

of the respondent group regarding strategies which may allow a minor sport to win the

business of sport.

According to Rowe and Wright (1999), The Delphi process compared to

classical research methods, offers three main characteristics and advantages.

Anonymity is one of the primary characteristics of the Delphi process. It permits to

reduce the effects of dominant individuals such as manipulation or coercion, which is

often a problem in a group-based process. Controlled feedback is another

characteristic the Delphi process ensures in order to inform the subjects of the other

participant‟s perspectives. It provides them the opportunity to clarify or change their

views. Finally, the use of statistical analysis technique is a characteristic of the Delphi

which allows for an objective and impartial analysis and summarization of the

collected data.

4.2. Subjects

The selection of the candidates is a crucial step in the Delphi process because

it relates directly to the quality of the results generated. Delbecq, Van de Ven and

Gustafson (1975) suggest that ten to fifteen participants is enough if the domain of

expertise of the Delphi subjects is homogeneous. However, if the group has different

background and by definition is more heterogeneous, Witkin and Altschuld (1995)

suggest that more participants are needed in order to collect consistent information.

Nevertheless, the panel of experts should not exceed more than fifty subjects.

In this case, after thorough brainstorming with Prof. Adriaensens and Prof.

Vandeputte, a panel of twenty-four experts in the field of sport was initiated. The term

„expert‟ was assumed by the fact that the potential respondents were exercising their

functions in the sport industry for many years. The panel was by purpose very

heterogeneous as it was composed of participants with many different positions and

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background in the sport industry. Among the panel of experts, the major pie was

involved in the research & education industry with 44%. The other two important

segments were non-profit organizations such as the IOC with 17%, and sport

marketing & advertising with 13%. Following that, 9% of the experts were involved

in sport journalism, 9% also in media & communication, 4% in sport management and

finally 4% in politics. Besides, 75% of the subjects chosen for the Delphi method

were Belgian, which may not allow generalizing the result of this study. The rest of

the sample was divided as follow, 17% were other European citizens and 8% came

from other horizons. Last but not least, 17% of the potential participants involved

were women, which show the growing interest of the feminine body toward the sport

industry.

4.3. Data collection

The initial round of the Delphi method, accompanied with a questionnaire and

an introduction letter explaining the study in French and English, was sent by email to

the twenty-four experts in the sport industry. They were first assured of complete

anonymity, then encouraged to take part of the study. No financial compensation was

offered but the respondents were ensured to receive the final result of the paper and

were kindly invited to assist at the defense of the thesis. Three weeks after the initial

mailing, seven questionnaires were returned, four experts were not able to take part of

the study, and the others remained silent. After the analysis of the first round Delphi, a

second mailing immediately followed, engaging the respondents to review the

answers of the group response. In total, seven experts participated to the whole Delphi

study yielding a return rate of 29.16%. Two rounds Delphi were necessary in order to

reach a group consensus concerning the overall problematic of the study. A consensus

can be defined in many ways. However, for the perspective of this study, the

consensus definition of Green (1982) was used: he suggests that on a four point

Likert-scale, 70 percent of Delphi participants need to have a score of 3 or higher and

the median has to reach 3.25 or higher. Because this study required a five point

Likert-scale, a small computation permitted to find the value needed to reach the

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consensus in this case. Then, 70 percent of the Delphi subjects need a score of 3.75 or

higher and the median has to be at 4 or higher. Descriptive statistics were used for the

analysis of the study, measures of central tendency such as means, median, coupled

with measures of level of dispersion such as standard deviation, were used in order to

present the collective judgments of the respondents.

4.4. First round Delphi

The initial questionnaire was constructed in accordance of the gap found in the

literature review concerning minor sports in the sport business. The questionnaire was

designed in order to subsequently engage the experts to the four main questions which

entail the problematic of the thesis. Mr. Adriaensens and Mr. Vandeputte reviewed the

questionnaire to face and verify clarity, which consisted of 10 open-ended questions

(Annexe 9.1). For the complete understanding of the study by the panel of experts, a

short description of the Delphi method and some basic assumptions were attached to

the questionnaire. Before starting, the participants needed to be aware that winning

the sport business emphasized two dimensions, the popularity and the profitability.

Moreover, a sport is considered as major if it occupied the major pie of market share

in the global sport industry. In Europe, Football, Cycling and Tennis are major sports.

At the global level, Football and NFL are major sports and it was assumed that each

sport, minor or major, is held at least by one federation or sport organization. On the

other hand, it was mentioned that global sports are sport which got a global awareness

and presence such as Olympic sports.

First, the respondents were asked to give their own definition of minor or non-

popular sports. Second, they were asked to determine what an attractive sport is and

which could be the factors to be used to determine if a sport is attractive or not. The

third item asked the experts to give examples of minor winning sport and major non-

winning sports they know. The next question asked the respondents to give incentives

for minor sports to attract and convince sponsors. Then, they were asked the

possibilities of a sport to achieve its market potential and show off the challenges

21

translating a sport‟s popularity into revenues. The participants were then asked to

indicate the most efficient way to increase popularity through new media at the lowest

cost possible. The next item asked the respondents whether a going global strategy or

a growing local strategy was the best for a minor sport. According to the global

decrease in TV viewing and sport-TV viewing in Europe, except during Olympic

Games or major Football events, the participants were asked to indicate alternatives

that a minor sport should use to increase its awareness as TV was not considered as a

good investment over the long term. Finally, because in some sort the sport business

is becoming a buyer‟s market as broadcasters and sponsors request sport games to be

tailored to their needs, the panel of experts was asked whether or not there was an

opportunity for minor sport in improving their individual competitiveness by

comparing what successful rivals have done.

4.5. Second round Delphi

The second part of the Delphi study consisted on an online survey involving

the participants of the first round to review the answers of the group response

(Annexe 9.2). Indeed, for each question, the respondents were asked to rate each

statement given by the individual expert on a five point scale, one being “strongly

disagree” to five being “strongly agree” with a neutral middle option to avoid a forced

choice. This scale permits to avoid the extreme responses and the risk of

unrealistically favorable answers. Moreover, the respondents had the possibility below

each question to add comment or change their initial answer from the first round

Delphi.

5. Analysis and discussion

5.1. Results of the first round Delphi

22

Many different interesting answers came out from the panel of experts.

Regarding the meaning of a minor or non-popular sport, the group response defined a

minor sport as a sport with few participants, no spectator on site and virtually and no

media attention. Thus, non-Olympic sports, sports ignored by the public or not

practiced in school belonged also to this category. On the other hand, if the popularity

of a sport is based on the ability to generate profit through sport business activities, a

minor sport is a sport which is unable to generate substantial income through its

activities. Another way pointed out by the experts to define a minor sport is to

determine if the number of people who practice the sport or who belong to the

dedicated federation is below a certain percentage of the population.

Concerning the factors which determine the attractiveness of a sport, many

ideas came out of the group response. An attractive sport is a sport able to evolve,

able to adapt its competition format, equipment, communication and rules to the

expectations of the spectators. An attractive sport is a sport which can be easily put on

screens, followed on television, smartphones and all media devices. The attractiveness

of a sport needs to be analyzed through many different aspects such as the athlete

perspective, the spectator perspective or the media perspective. Moreover, for a sport

to be attractive, it needs to be part of a nationalism effect, the presence of big names

or winning team within the country will allow the sport to gain attraction toward the

public. On the other hand, some experts defined each sport as attractive in its own

rights as otherwise it would not exist.

The following question asked the respondents to give examples of minor

winning sport and major non-winning sport. Archery, windsurfing, speed skating,

cyclo cross, hockey, taekwondo, short track, ice-skating in long distance,

snowboarding and snooker were quoted as minor winning sport. It is important to

notice that many Olympic sports are still considered as minor by the group response.

Instead of that, the experts considered table tennis, badminton, volley, equestrians,

swimming, sailing, alpine skiing, weightlifting, field hockey and kayak as major non-

23

winning sports. One exception came out with the consideration that all major sports

are winning in some areas, as they are major.

Relating to the possible solutions for minor sports to attract and convince

sponsor, many extensive solutions around a common idea were given by the group

response. A minor sport need to focus on being in a niche that corresponds with the

expectation of the sponsor, a SWOT analysis can be made in order to find the right

sponsor. The main idea is to identify a unique brandship between commercial brands

and the sport, sharing the same values in term of mission, vision, ambition and

strategy. Minor sports need to focus on their own specificities which can attract a

particular group of people by their unique image spread. Another solution given by

the panel of experts is to use the endorsement of celebrities or bet on future

champions, sportsmen or sportswomen doing well in the sport. Targeting television

mediatization or making effort in attracting children in the specific sport are other

solutions for a minor sport to attract sponsors pointed out by the group response.

Concerning the problematic of translating the popularity of the sport into

revenues, experts answered by the fact that the governing body of the minor sport

needs to develop a qualitative communication through various media.

Professionalizing the environment by investing on motivated youngsters,

experimented managers and marketers is the main incentive given by the panel of

experts for minor sport to achieve its market potential. The more the sport will

become popular through media sponsorship, the more it will be able to achieve its

market potential. If the first solution remains a huge investment for the sport

organization, some alternatives with lower cost can be used such as attracting

volunteers or professionals to invest some effort into marketing the sport through

exhibitions with low entry fee or free entry at first. However, many challenges remain

in translating the sport‟s popularity into revenues. Experts pointed out the tight market

and strong competition within the world of sport and within the world of amusements

in general. The strong competition among minor sports to find media sponsorships,

unlike major sports which get no matters to be mediatized, there are more and more

24

minor sports showing off in order to get the deal. Finally, another point of view claims

the challenges in translating the sport popularity into revenues as similar as other

products when the goal is to compete for market share.

New media is also an interesting way for minor sport to increase its popularity

in a low cost. According to the panel of experts, social networks, fan pages or WebTV

are the best and cheaper way to attract major sponsors because it offers visibility. New

media is the lowest cost and it is represented and developed by the new generation of

youngsters, then, the solution for minor sports is to invest on them. Through new

media, sports can form their own media platforms targeting fans and athletes. As a

minor sport, it needs firstly to brainstorm and then focus on a coherent content to

diffuse before breaking through the Web 2.0. The objective is not to be just part of a

buzz or ephemeral but to have a long term perspective with a solid plan, the minor

sport needs to be careful, minimize cost and aim well with a strong message. Last but

not least, the popularity can be optimized by finding a young market and new media

savvy marketing professionals with a passion for sport, able to link the opportunities

of new mass media and social media in promoting sports that have limited budget.

According to the question about alternatives that minor sport should use to

increase its awareness regarding the decline of TV viewing, experts advised to create

a competition format that is attractive for youth and spend much more time on social

media with a good strategy. Indeed, when viewership is falling, it simply means that

viewers have other or more options and the competition is increasing. The alternatives

are smart marketing solutions and the minor sport need to invest on making to sport

viewable on these new media devices. Another alternative given by the group

response is to become an Olympic sport as TV viewing for Olympic Games is

constantly increasing. Then, the minor sport needs to comply with the criteria and

rules of the International Olympic Committee.

Finally, the last question asked if there was an opportunity for minor sport by

comparing what successful rivals have done, regarding the fact that sports business is

25

becoming a buyer‟s market in which broadcasters and sponsors not only resist any

increase in price but also insist that games be tailored to their needs. The group

response agreed on this point by saying that such an action would increase its

visibility. A successful minor sport needs to focus on the potentials of creating its own

media platform digitally, engage and involve through social media and activate

sponsors likewise. Moreover, it needs to know its audience better by looking into a

better future and by considering alternative offering that play into the future needs of

the consumers. The panel of experts confirms by suggesting that copying is an

opportunity for minor sport because you don‟t have to reinvent anything and you can

avoid the mistake made by rivals. Moreover, the American model is used as an

example as the most successful sports in the country are sport able to change and

evolve with the society and which are initiated, developed and promoted only from

colleges and universities. On other hand, some experts pointed out the fact that the

opportunity will remain as long as the sport does not sell his soul. If the sport decides

to make some changes according to the sponsor‟s needs, it has to be well prepared

internally to have the consent of all or most of its members and practitioners. Made it

wrong, the sport can disappear along with the change of the marketing strategy of the

sponsor concerned. Sport is a cultural phenomenon; as such it has to keep his specific

values. Furthermore, this is not always possible to gain from copying successful rivals

if the idea is to follow sports-competitions as they happen. Minor sports will need to

broadcast on sports-devoted channels and to schedule their championships and/or

competitions during periods where the most major sports are not being played.

5.2. Results of the second round Delphi

The table presented on the next page displays for each question, the median

and the percentage of experts rating the answer with 4 or higher. All answers which

reached the consensus are highlighted. According to the result of the second round

Delphi, it can be seen that no consensus has been reached for the question 4, 6, 7, 8,

and 9. However, it does not have a real incidence for the study as the main

problematic of the paper is answered through the others questions. The possible

26

reasons of a non-consensus will be discussed further on the paper. For now, the

analysis will only focus on the questions in which some answers have been validated

by the experts.

Q1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7

rate>=4 100,00% 28,57% 0,00% 28,57% 14,29% 14,29% 42,86%

median 4,00 3,00 2,00 2,00 3,00 2,00 3,00

Q2 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9

rate>=4 100,00% 71,43% 85,71% 42,86% 42,86% 57,14% 42,86% 57,14% 28,57%

median 4,00 4,00 4,00 3,00 3,00 4,00 3,00 4,00 2,00

Q3 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5

rate>=4 57,14% 85,71% 57,14% 71,43% 42,86%

median 4,00 4,00 4,00 4,00 3,00

Q4 4.1 4.2 4.3

rate>=4 28,57% 42,86% 42,86%

median 3,00 3,00 3,00

Q5 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5

rate>=4 71,43% 85,71% 71,43% 71,43% 57,14%

median 4,00 4,00 4,00 4,00 4,00

Q6 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4

rate>=4 57,14% 14,29% 42,86% 42,86%

median 4,00 3,00 3,00 3,00

Q7 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5

rate>=4 57,14% 42,86% 0,00% 42,86% 28,57%

median 4,00 3,00 3,00 3,00 3,00

Q8 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.9 8.10

rate>=4 14,29% 28,57% 28,57% 14,29% 42,86% 14,29% 28,57% 14,29% 42,86% 28,57%

median 2,00 3,00 3,00 3,00 3,00 3,00 3,00 3,00 3,00 3,00

Q9 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13

rate>=4 14,29% 14,29% 28,57% 14,29% 42,86% 28,57% 42,86% 28,57% 42,86% 14,29% 28,57% 28,57% 14,29%

median 3,00 3,00 3,00 3,00 3,00 3,00 3,00 3,00 3,00 3,00 3,00 3,00 3,00

Q10 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6

rate>=4 71,43% 71,43% 42,86% 71,43% 42,86% 14,29%

median 4,00 4,00 3,00 4,00 3,00 2,00

Q11 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5

rate>=4 57,14% 42,86% 71,43% 28,57% 57,14%

median 4,00 3,00 4,00 3,00 4,00

Q12 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 12.8 12.9

rate>=4 28,57% 14,29% 57,14% 85,71% 0,00% 57,14% 42,86% 28,57% 42,86%

median 3,00 3,00 4,00 4,00 3,00 4,00 3,00 3,00 3,00

27

Regarding the first question, all the experts agreed with the answer 1.1, which

said that a minor or non-popular sport is a sport with few participants, no spectator on

site and virtually, and no media attention. This definition complete the one mentioned

by Furman and Balin (1998) during the literature review focusing only on the no

media footprint. It is non-negligible to say that the totality of the experts rated this

answers with a minimum score of 4 out of 5 and with a low standard deviation of

0.38. It means that the panel of expert is confident about its opinion and the answer

can be validated.

Concerning the second question, the three first answers, 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3, have

reached the consensus. The experts agreed with a unanimity score of 4 out of 5 that a

minor sport needs to focus on being in a niche that corresponds with the expectations

of sponsors in order to attract and convince them. In this case, the sport has a role of

buyer and needs to comply and tailor its game with the expectation of the sponsor.

This answer can be related with the question 12 asking the experts how minor

sports can take opportunity of a situation in which the sport is a buyer‟s market by

improving their individual competitiveness by comparing what successful rivals have

done. Only the answer 12.4 has reached the consensus; experts believe that a minor

sport needs to know its audience better, by looking into a better future, and by

considering alternative offering that play into the future needs and expectations of

consumers in order to win the sport business. In the book “Sport Business in Global

Marketplace”, Westerbeek and Smith (2003) agreed on the fact that opportunities do

exist for minor sports which have communities of fans and add the following: “It is

still the inherent attractiveness of the core sport product that determines whether

people are entertained. If smaller sports do not add value to their existing product in

an effort to draw traffic to their site or interactive/pay television program, then sport

consumers will remain loyal to the `big' sports which have already proved they

provide the best content and value to their viewers”. Westerbeek and Smith (2003)

stressed the importance for minor sports to be innovative in technology compared to

the traditional sports and wrote that: “they must understand the trends in the market

28

and the best ways to meet the needs of their customers and other potential consumers.

Broadband will take the television medium from local to global, and interactive

features will allow sport fans to be drawn into the sport experience and consequently

become more involved with the sport organization”.

Rolling back to the second question, the experts agreed also with the answer

2.3 which said that the minor sport needs to identify first, the profile of its target

market and then, the sponsor which get interest on that market. It is contradictory with

the answer 2.1 as in this case, the sport has the dominant position. It is assumed that

several sponsors are knocking on the doors of the minor sport federation and the sport

organization can choose among different offers. This strategy can be risky for the

minor sport federation because nothing guarantee a contract with a sponsor and then,

a huge opportunity to win the sport business can be missed. The third consensus is

reached on the answer 2.2, the experts agreed on the fact that a minor sport needs to

perform a SWOT analysis in relation to the sponsor targeted.

A success story has been mentioned in the Sport Event Denmark Magazine,

the FITA (The International Archery Federation) has taken a great initiative in order

to attract sponsor other than the ones mentioned by the panel of experts. Indeed, in

2005, the Archery federation had difficulties to attract sponsors. In response to this

challenge, the FITA created a World Cup taking part over the whole year with a series

of five huge events. According to Juan-Carlos Holgado (2009), this mega tournament

offered the following new attractive elements to the sport: “a good story that brought

attention to our sport all year long. It brought us to new levels of consistency in event

production as we took a hands on approach to working with our host cities, and it

provided flexibility in terms of our rules and event venues allowing our host cities to

build an exciting show”. This initiative permitted the Archery to attract new sponsors.

The third question has seen two consensuses, respectively for the answer 3.2

and 3.4. The latter said that a sport can achieve its market potential if the sport is able

to raise its popularity through media sponsorship. Indeed, if a sport owns a media

29

sponsorship deal, the sport will be broadcasted through different media devices, gain

popularity and then, be able to transform its popularity into revenues through the

broadcasting takings. By performing this cycle more and more, the sport may achieve

its market potential. Regarding the answer 3.2, the panel of experts agreed also that a

good strategy for a sport to achieve its market potential is by professionalizing the

environment with experimented managers and marketers. This strategy complies with

one study of the CSIRO, an Australian research organization which analyzed the

megatrends shaping the sports sector over coming decades. It has been said that the

sport industry will continue to grow firmly during the next years, supported by

lucrative television broadcasting, sponsorships and spectator interest. Then, it is

quoted that “sporting bodies will need highly-skilled management personnel in order

to retain or maximize market share in an increasingly competitive environment”

(CSIRO, 2013). The AFL (Australian Football League) is a good example of an

efficient governing body; the federation is governed by the AFL Commission

including one CEO and eight Commissioners. Moreover, a professional

administration of the AFL is focused on five key segments: Football Operations &

Finance, Commercial Operations, Game Development, Corporate Affairs &

Communication, and Administration (McMillan, 2011).

Besides, according to an interview of Thierry Zintz in Le Soir magazine,

another idea still on the optic of professionalizing the sport environment would be to

see a partnership of three or four small federations in order to have a performing and

professional governing body. It would permit them to evolve by beneficiating of a

stronger expertise (Le Soir, 2013).

The fifth question related the opportunity of new media in raising popularity at

low cost and 4 consensuses out of 5 have been reached. The experts agreed that new

media which encompass social networks, fan pages or WebTV, is the best and

cheapest way to attract major sponsors because it offers visibility (5.1). Lundov

(2010) argued that: “Digital media, and the Internet in general, is able to provide the

fastest, easiest, most cost-efficient way to distribute information and/or create

30

awareness for events”. Today, new media is a great instrument for influencing and

manipulating the consumers‟ perceptions and through this new propaganda tool; sport

organizations can valorize their assets such as licensing, sponsorship and broadcasting

rights. This valorization will continue to increase significantly with the constant

“deregulation of the media sector and the unifying effect of new technology”

(Westerbeek & Smith, 2003). Then, still according to the panel of experts, each sport

should form their own media platforms in order to target fans and athletes (5.2). New

media permits minor sports to capture niche markets across national boundaries; this

is the case of Surfing which offers free live broadcasting exclusively through its

sponsor websites (Nicholson, 2007). The two other answers having reached the

consensus are the answer 5.3 and 5.4. It respectively says that the most efficient way

to increase popularity for a minor sport is to find a young market and new media

savvy marketing professionals with a passion for sport in order to link the

opportunities of new mass media and social media to promote sports that have limited

budget (5.3). The latter argues that, the best solution is to invest on the generation of

youngsters as the new media is brought and daily used by them. Indeed the generation

X was growing with the new media and they are the pioneers of extreme or alternative

sports such as skateboarding, BMX or rock-climbing. As these minor sports are often

neglected on television and most often broadcasted on internet, it is important for the

minor sport‟s governing body to prioritize the youngsters as a target for a niche

market, as they use to watch their favorites sport via streaming or WebTV. Indeed,

according to the study of CSIRO, these extreme sports are on way to become

mainstream, an example was seen in 2008 with the introduction of the BMX to the

Olympic Games in Beijing (CSIRO, 2013). In addition, one third of the total

employment in the sport sector in Australia is represented by youngsters aged from 15

to 24 years, which is a non-negligible market (CSIRO, 2013).

These answers have a direct incidence with the question 11 questioning the

panel experts about the cause of the decrease in the number of sports TV viewers and

the possible alternative for minor sports to raise awareness. Indeed, the respondents

all approved with the answer 11.3, affirming that the alternatives are smart marketing

31

solutions. When TV viewership is falling, it simply means that viewers have more or

alternative viewing options and the competition is increasing. Then, minor sports need

to focus new media and invest on making the sport viewable on the new media

devices. Indeed, people are using more and more smartphones in order to be

entertained and get informed about what is happening around the world. It represents

then a huge opportunity for sports broadcasting in “keeping people informed about

sporting events and building communities around sports” (Telstra, 2011). New media

is creating opportunities and changing the relation between the sport and the

consumer by allowing a unique engagement with a sporting event that has never been

possible before. For example, consumers have the possibility today through websites

such as „Map My Ride‟, to virtually ride next to the professional cyclists during the

Tour de France, and then, compare the result with the participants or other fellows

(CSIRO, 2013).

Relating to the incentives for sport organizations to increase the attractiveness

of sports to consumers, broadcasters, and sponsors while also realizing their

commercial value discussed on question 10, the answers 10.1, 10.2 and 12.4 have

reached the consensus. The first answer says that sport organizations need to focus on

added value. In every sort of business, the key is to offer the consumer an experience

in which they can connect both socially and emotionally. The experience, as much as

the product, is the differentiator that makes customers purchase again and again. The

sport industry is working the same, the fan does not attend the game just for the game,

but wish to be part of a lifestyle surrounding the sport which combines different

things such as; sport, music, food, new media, fashion, etc. (Lundov, 2009). The two

other answers agreed by the experts emphasize the fact that sport organizations may

use the marketing mix to optimize their offering. It means that sporting rules

according to the media can be modified to make the sport easier to watch, easier to

play, more spectacular, more accessible, cheaper, easier to promote, etc. With the

constant growth of the entertainment industry, sport cannot afford to be static. Recent

years have given plenty of alternative formats of sport such as beach tennis,

PowerPlay Golf or „Twenty 20‟ cricket, in order to comply with the new TV format

32

and provide more exciting spectacle for fans and attract new audiences (SportBusiness

International, 2013). According to the CSIRO (2013), some sporting bodies have

already started to change their game rules, to suit with modern audiences and offer a

better customer experience through more entertaining games.

5.3. Possible reasons of a non-consensus

The table below displays for each question, the standard deviation and the

number of experts rating the answer respectively with a 3 for a neutral opinion, a 1 for

a strong disagreement and a 5 for a strong agreement. All these information may give

an idea about why consensus has not been reached during the second round Delphi.

All answers which reached the consensus are highlighted.

Q1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7

Stand. Dev. 0,38 1,07 1,00 1,27 1,25 1,11 1,21

Nb of "neutral" 0 3 3 1 3 2 1

Nb of "strongly disagree" 0 0 3 2 3 2 1

Nb of "strongly agree" 1 1 0 0 0 0 0

Q2 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9

Stand. Dev. 0,00 0,95 0,58 0,95 0,79 1,11 1,15 0,53 1,27

Nb of "neutral" 0 1 1 4 4 2 2 3 1

Nb of "strongly disagree" 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2

Nb of "strongly agree" 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0

Q3 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5

Stand. Dev. 0,79 0,58 0,79 1,27 1,07

Nb of "neutral" 2 1 2 1 3

Nb of "strongly disagree" 0 0 0 1 1

Nb of "strongly agree" 0 1 0 1 0

Q4 4.1 4.2 4.3

Stand. Dev. 0,49 0,98 0,76

Nb of "neutral" 5 3 3

Nb of "strongly disagree" 0 0 0

Nb of "strongly agree" 0 1 0

Q5 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5

Stand. Dev. 0,95 0,69 0,69 1,07 0,90

Nb of "neutral" 1 2 2 1 3

Nb of "strongly disagree" 0 0 0 0 0

Nb of "strongly agree" 1 1 1 2 2

33

Q6 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4

Stand. Dev. 1,27 0,90 1,25 1,21

Nb of "neutral" 2 5 3 1

Nb of "strongly disagree" 1 1 1 1

Nb of "strongly agree" 1 0 1 0

Q7 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5

Stand. Dev. 1,40 1,07 0,95 1,25 1,07

Nb of "neutral" 2 3 4 3 3

Nb of "strongly disagree" 1 1 2 1 1

Nb of "strongly agree" 2 0 0 1 0

Q8 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.9 8.10

Stand. Dev. 0,98 0,82 0,69 0,98 0,98 0,58 0,69 0,69 0,98 1,25

Nb of "neutral" 2 3 4 3 3 5 4 4 3 3

Nb of "strongly disagree" 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

Nb of "strongly agree" 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2

Q9 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 9.9 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13

Stand. Dev. 0,69 0,69 1,15 0,58 0,76 0,49 0,98 0,95 0,98 1,13 0,90 0,79 0,95

Nb of "neutral" 4 4 2 5 3 5 3 4 3 4 2 5 4

Nb of "strongly disagree" 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1

Nb of "strongly agree" 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0

Q10 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6

Stand. Dev. 0,90 0,69 0,53 0,49 0,76 1,21

Nb of "neutral" 2 2 4 2 3 2

Nb of "strongly disagree" 0 0 0 0 0 3

Nb of "strongly agree" 3 1 0 0 0 0

Q11 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5

Stand. Dev. 0,76 0,76 0,82 1,00 0,98

Nb of "neutral" 3 3 2 4 2

Nb of "strongly disagree" 0 0 0 1 0

Nb of "strongly agree" 1 0 2 0 1

Q12 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.7 12.8 12.9

Stand. Dev. 0,69 0,98 0,53 0,38 0,38 0,79 0,76 0,49 1,15

Nb of "neutral" 4 3 3 1 6 2 3 5 2

Nb of "strongly disagree" 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Nb of "strongly agree" 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Regarding the standard deviation, it can be seen that the ones with the

consensus reached is generally lower than the ones without consensus. When the

consensus is reached, the SD is most often below 1, on the other hand, when the

consensus is not reached, the SD is generally above or close below 1. The answers

adopted by the panel of experts have an average SD of 0.7 and the average SD of the

answers rejected by the experts is 0.91. It means there is divergence more important

among the opinions of the respondents and this is why these answers have not been

adopted.

34

Moreover, it can be seen that the number of neutral opinions is much higher

for the answers non-adopted than the answers adopted by the panel of experts,

respectively with an average of 3.1 against 1.3. It means that there is an average of 3

neutral opinions per each answer in which the consensus has not been reached.

Neutral opinions may be explained by three different hypotheses: nonchalance,

ignorance, or incomprehension. Firstly, some experts rated their own answers with a

neutral score or lower; this can be the result of nonchalance or a change in the mind of

the expert. According to the survey, 83 different answers have been given by the

experts, 55 have been confirmed through the second round, 20 have changed into

neutral and 8 have changed radically. It means that only 66% of the answers given

have remained stable through the different iterations, 24% moved to neutral and 10%

of the respondents have changed drastically their opinions. However, only 3 weeks

separated the first and the second round Delphi. Envisaging the experts shifting their

own opinions after such few weeks is not rational and then, the nonchalance of the

expert may be the reason. Secondly, it can be assumed that the expert does not know

the answer; the question can be out of his expertise. Thirdly, the expert may not

understand the answer of the other candidates and the only solution is to adopt the

neutral rating.

Besides, non-adopted answers have been logically influenced by the number

of experts responding with a „strongly disagree‟ rating. The average is respectively

0.06 for the answers with consensus and 0.55 for the ones without consensus. Most

often, when an answer is rated with one or more „strongly disagree‟, the answer is

directly non-considered, one exception comes from the answer 3.4.

Last but not least, there is in average one „strongly agree‟ rating for each

answer adopted against 0.34 for the ones not taken into account. This is logical

considering the method in which the consensus has been defined.

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6. Conclusion

This study was one of the first in the sport literature focusing on minor sports

within the sport industry and was designed to explore whether or not, a non-popular

sport can win or become a significant player within a competitive market such as the

sport business. The analysis of the case study concerning the Mixed Martial Arts and

the Delphi survey allowed the resolution of the four main questions elaborated in

order to answer the main problematic of this research paper.

One of these questions asked how a minor sport may build awareness within

the very competitive sport industry; exploiting the new media was the main answer

claimed by the respondents through the study. This answer links us directly to one

another problematic of the paper, relating the possibilities for a minor sport to take

advantage of the new media as a minor sport.

The MMA became today the most broadcasted sport in the world because it

was able to strongly promote itself through the new media and social networks.

According to the Delphi study, a minor sport can take advantage of the new media in

three different ways; by creating its own media platform in order to target and attract

audiences, by finding a niche market and hire new media professionals passionate by

the sport to link these two spheres, and by investing in youngsters as they have grown

up with the new media and are the pioneers of the future mainstream sports. New

media is the cheapest way to raise popularity and offers then an interesting strategy

for sport with limited budget.

Moreover, in its early age, the MMA changed its rules to be officially

recognized as an athletic sport and easily followed in television and media devices.

The UFC took also opportunity from the change in technology by offering live

broadcast through WebTV and PPV. This accomplishment is shared with the experts

as they stressed out the fact that sporting rules need to change according to the

36

capabilities of the medias in order to offer more entertaining contents. This strategy

can certainly enhance the awareness of a minor sport as innovative approaches are

always welcome by the audience.

Regarding the case study, The UFC gets professionalized to handle bigger

business environment and gain expertize. This achievement is also shared by the

respondents as they argued to engage experimented managers and marketers within

the governing body in order for the minor sport to achieve its potential.

The third problematic examined the possible ways for a minor sport to attract

sponsors. To do so, the federation of the main MMA organization applied a coherent

branding to align the brand with the sport combat, which permitted to reach different

marketing partnerships well-suited to its image. On the other hand, the experts

claimed that a minor sport needs to handle a SWOT analysis in relation to the sponsor

targeted. It is important to be part of a niche market that interest sponsors or

correspond with the expectation of the sponsors.

Finally, to answer to the last problematic, if a minor sport is able to put in

practice all the different strategies mentioned above, it will soon or later become

popular, profitable and then, able to claim a significant pie of market share within the

sport business industry.

The study exploited a method which has yet to be used in the sport literature.

This research paper provided some evidence that the Delphi method is beneficial to

use in this kind of topic as it provides interesting opinions and solutions from very

competent persons in the industry, worth to be taken into account and practiced into

the field. Future research should further exploit this method with additional

instruments in order to produce generalizable results.

37

7. Further Recommendation

It might be interesting in future research, to analyze the result of the Delphi

study by segmentation, such as by industry or sex of the participants. Indeed, all the

experts involved in this Delphi study do not come from the same industry and the

analysis within each different group in order to find a correlation may be appreciated.

Moreover, the segmentation by sex would be interesting as sport industry has been

more masculine for many years. The analysis of the women‟s opinions toward the

subject studied may be valuable as women‟s sports are gaining more and more

interest. However, the panel of experts in this case was too small and the result would

not be reliable for both of the recommendations above. Future research may be

investigated with a larger and more international panel of experts in order to confirm

or complete the result found by this study.

Besides, as mentioned above, some of the experts were not reliable in the

sense that they were rating their own answers with a low score. Then, it may be also a

good idea to use a consensus emphasized by Scheibe, Skutsch, and Schofer (1975),

revealing that the use of metrics is wrong. Indeed, a more reliable way to validate a

consensus is to measure the stability of the participant‟s responses through the

successive iterations. In this case, three or more round Delphi may be requested.

Finally, enormously mentioned and analyzed through this Delphi study, a

research exclusively dedicated to sport and new media may be interesting to be

explored, as both of these industries are growing in a fast track. Future studies may

enrich the body of literature in both new media and sport, a world that people

involved in this industry use to call the „Sportainement‟.

38

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9. Annexes

9.1. The questionnaire

See at the end of the page, a short explanation about the Delphi Research methodology

The main question I would like to answer through the Delphi method:

“How to win the sport business when you are a minor sport”

(A David versus Goliath game)

Assumptions:

Considering that winning sport business is not based only on popularity,

attracting players but also on being financially sound, in many cases a small

sport is considered as unpopular or confidential.

Major sports are sports which occupied the major pie of market share in the

global sport industry. In Europe, Football, Cycling and Tennis are major

sports. At the global level, Football and NFL are major sports.

Global sports are sport which got a global awareness and presence.

We assume that a major sport is held at least by one promotion federation (ex:

ATP for tennis, FIFA for football…)

Objective:

- How to build awareness through the very competitive sport industry for a

minor sport?

- How to attract sponsors?

- How to take advantage of the new media as a minor sport?

- How to be profitable?

Delphi Research Methodology

The RAND organization developed the Delphi method in the 1950s, originally to

forecast the impact of technology on the Citizen life.

The method is an iterative process which entails a group of experts who anonymously

reply to questionnaires and subsequently receive feedback in the form of a statistical

representation of the "group response," after which the process repeats itself. The

process stops when the research question is answered and the goal is to reduce the

range of responses to arrive at something closer to expert consensus. The consensus is

usually reached from 2 to 4 rounds maximum. The Delphi Method has been widely

adopted and is still in use today.

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The questionnaire

- How do you consider a sport as minor or non-popular? (Please note that some

sports are very popular in one country or region but are nearly unknown is the

rest of the world – We do not consider these kinds of sports in this survey).

- What is an attractive sport and which could be the factors to be used to

determine if a sport is attractive or not (e.g.: Based on which criterions, the

CIO‟s choosing the sport present at the Olympic Games)?

- Considering that a sport is winning business when it is popular and profitable,

which minor winning sport do you know and which non-winning major sport

do you know? (Just give two or three examples)

- How minor sports can attract and convince sponsors?

- How a sport can achieves its market potential. What are the challenges

translating a sport‟s popularity into revenues.

- What sport organizations can do to increase the attractiveness of sports to

consumers, broadcasters, and sponsors while also realizing their commercial

value?

- Taken advantages of the growth of the new media. What can be the most

efficient way to increase its popularity at the lowest cost possible?

- What can be the best strategy for a minor sport to grow? Going global or

growing local?

- In Europe, the number of sports-TV viewers is falling in general (excluded

during OG or football championship). This decline potentially reduces the

level of interest in watching these sports on TV and in spending money on

them over the longer term. What can be the alternatives that minor sports

should use to increase it awareness?

- Today, in some areas the sports business is becoming a buyer‟s market in

which broadcasters and sponsors not only resist any increase in price but also

insist that games be tailored to their needs. By improving their individual

competitiveness by comparing what successful rivals have done, is there an

opportunity for minor sports?

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9.2. The online survey

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