Title: Guest editor's introduction: Sports entrepreneurship: towards a conceptualisation

Authors: Vanessa Ratten

Addresses: Deakin Graduate School of Business, Deakin University, 70 Elgar Road Burwood Victoria, Australia

Abstract: Sport is an important economic and social driver of regional development around the world. Both organisations and individuals are involved in creating innovative ways of fostering regional development through entrepreneurial practices in sport. The aim of this paper is to develop a conceptualisation of sports entrepreneurship that focuses on the role of innovation and regional development in the sports context. Different sport entrepreneurship schools of thought are discussed with a focus on developing theory based on the venture creation process. Three key components of sports entrepreneurship (opportunity recognition, dynamic capabilities and entrepreneurial competence) are examined that lead to a focus on how sports entrepreneurial traits are innovative and encourage regional development. Entrepreneurial sport ventures are then stated which leads to the managerial and theoretical implications of the sports entrepreneurship construct being discussed.

Keywords: sport entrepreneurship; innovation; regional development; business ventures; entrepreneurial venturing; new ventures; sports industry; global environment; opportunity recognition; dynamic capabilities; entrepreneurial competence; entrepreneurial traits; technological innovation; sports entrepreneurs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEV.2012.044814

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing, 2012 Vol.4 No.1, pp.1 - 17

Published online: 31 Jul 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article