Consumer Behavior Knowledge for Effective Sports and Event Marketing by Kahle Lynn R.;Close Angeline G.;

Author:Kahle, Lynn R.;Close, Angeline G.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Published: 2011-09-20T00:00:00+00:00

6 The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on NBA Fan Relationships A Conceptual Framework

Pamela A. Kennett-Hensel, Russell Lacey, and Matt Biggers

There is more to basketball than what happens on the court, and some of the NBA’s most significant efforts occur off the court.

David Stern, NBA commissioner1

Introduction

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts are on the rise. It is estimated that U.S. organizations alone have contributed $14.5 billion in charitable giving (Giving USA Foundation, 2009), with over 91% of companies reporting formal CSR policies (HRfocus, 2007). This CSR focus is also found globally with four of five companies indicating some participation in CSR practices (HRfocus, 2007). The heightened focus on CSR is encouraging, to say the least, and indicates that many decision makers feel that maximizing profit and behaving in a socially responsible manner are not conflicting goals (Husted & Salazar, 2006).

These social responsibility initiatives cut across industries. According to Fortune Magazine (2009), the top five socially responsible companies, representing a diverse group of industries, are Anheuser-Busch, Marriott International, Integrys Energy Group, Walt Disney, and Herman Miller. Any given industry possesses its own motivations and demands that guide the level and nature of CSR efforts. This is true of the sports industry, which has been called on to make a positive contribution to society (i.e., Wilbon, 2004; Zeigler, 2007). Given the visibility and reach of sports, it has been argued that “sport, more than any other potential vehicle, contains qualities that make it a powerful force in effecting positive social contributions” (Smith & Westerbeek, 2007, p. 44).

Within this arena of sports, perhaps, nowhere is social responsibility taken more seriously than in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Through its NBA Cares program, the league, its teams, and its players have donated over $100 million and 1 million hours of service (NBA, 2009b). As explained by New Orleans Hornets owner George Shinn, “I feel like it’s very important for me to reach out and help others. And I love this community and I like to be involved. I think it helps us as a business, and certainly it helps me as a human being” (Eichenhofer, 2009). The efforts of the NBA family are diverse and far reaching. They include such actions as New Orleans Hornets player Chris Paul’s CP3 Foundation donating $55,000 to local charities (Martel, 2009) to players traveling to Turkey, India, and South Africa to teach youngsters about basketball through the Basketball Without Borders program (NBA, 2009b).

Like any for-profit operation, the NBA and its teams must balance CSR initiatives against other stakeholder responsibilities. These responsibilities lie internally (i.e., to players, front-office employees, and owners) and externally (i.e., to customers, community, and environment) (Mendoza, 2007) and cannot all be met if a team is not financially viable. Therefore, how does one implement a CSR plan that ultimately leaves all stakeholders better off, and how do these initiatives help a team achieve its more financially oriented objectives?

The purpose of this chapter is to propose a framework that explains how these CSR initiatives contribute to the success of NBA teams through better fan relationships.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.