Sport logistics research: reviewing and line marking of a new field

• Pages: 357-379
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLM-02-2019-0066
• Date: 08 October 2019
• Published date: 08 October 2019
• Author: David M. Herold,Tim Breitbarth,Nico Schulenkorf,Sebastian Kummer
• Subject Matter: Management science & operations

Sport logistics research:

reviewing and line marking

of a new field

David M. Herold

Institute for Transport and Logistics Management,

Vienna University of Economics and Business, Vienna, Austria

Tim Breitbarth

Swinburne Business School,

Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia

Nico Schulenkorf

UTS Business School, Sport Management,

University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia, and

Sebastian Kummer

School of Management, Jilin University, Changchun, China

Abstract

Purpose –Although logistics management is a crucial part of local and global sports events, there is no research-

driven characterization of “sports logistics management”. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a

framework that allows for a more structured recognition of logistics in sports, in general, and sport event

management, in particular. In addition, we conduct a systematic literature review of sports logistics management

and locate opportunities for future research both for sports management and logistics management scholars.

Design/methodology/approach –Guided by Durach et al.’s (2017) systematic literature review approach,

we identify key attributes and characteristics of sports logistics management. These are based on studies

featuring at least partial aspects of logistics management in sports and sport events, and that were published

between 2000 and mid-2019.

Findings –The study reveals that sports logistics management –meaning logistics activities in sports and

sport event management –is a heavily under-researched area that provides an abundance of scientific

opportunities. Based on the three sport event types of local/regional sport events, major sport events and

mega sport events, the authors propose four sports logistics management pillars that are central to the

proposed Sport Logistics Framework: venue logistics management, sports equipment logistics management,

athletes logistics management, and fan and spectators logistics management.

Practical implications –By providing a conceptual framework for sports logistics, the authors progress

towards informing the sport sector on relevant strategic and operational levels of logistics management and

set the stage for empirical studies that are likely to advance sport logistics planning and management.

Originality/value –This is the first study that builds on a systematic review of literature specifically

focused on the logistics aspect in sports and sport event management. It provides a conceptual framework of

sports logistics management and offers an agenda of future research opportunities.

Keywords North America, Asia, Europe, Management research, Literature review, Urban logistics,

Logistics strategy, Global logistics

Paper type Literature review

Introduction

The global sportsmarket is not only a highly emotional and competitive space but isalso an

industry with prolific business growth in recent years. The global sports market, comprising

sports infrastructure, sports events, sports hospitality, training and manufacturing and retail

of sports goods,is estimated to be worth around$600–700bn, representing1 per cent of global

Received 25 February 2019

Revised 27 July 2019

Accepted 5 September 2019

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

www.emeraldinsight.com/0957-4093.htm

This paper forms part of a special section “14th European Research Seminar (ERS) on Logistics”, guest

edited by Britta Gammalgaard.

Sport logistics

research

TheInternationalJournalof

LogisticsManagement

Vol.31 No. 2, 2020

pp.357-379

©EmeraldPublishingLimited

0957-4093

DOI10.1108/IJLM-02-2019-0066

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GDP (KMPG, 2016) . Sports events alo ne have a market s ize of $80bn and hav e experienced

significant growth of 6 per cent per year, outpacing the GDP growth in nearly every country

(Collignon and Sultan, 2014). Mega sports events, such as the Olympic Gamesor FIFA World

Cup, are today regarded to be the greatest, non-defence related, world-wide logistics

operations(Minis, Paraschi and Tzimourtas,2006). For example, in the 16 days of the of Rio de

Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, more than 11,000 athletes competing in 42 sports

participated in 306events across 37 venues, involving morethan 36,000 volunteers from 161

countries and 6.2m spectators (IOC, 2017; Settimi, 2016).

In order to organize both periodic and recurring sport events and competitions,

managers are confronted with significant logistics challenges, with operations occurring at

different levels and often in parallel. However, although sport and sport events have become

an increasingly prevalent research topic in the management discipline, researchers have

been very shy to acknowledge the area of logistics management and its strategic relevance;

in fact, so far there has been no concentrated effort in outlining a sport logistics research

agenda. Also popular textbooks and publications framed by a marketing-management-

approach with its x-number of Ps only briefly touch upon supply chain management or

logistics management, usually by rather nonchalant describing or summarizing it as aspects

of “planning”,“place”/distribution or “promotion”/product management but without

presenting specific frameworks or research (see e.g. Masterman, 2014; Parent and Chappelet,

2017; Schwarz et al., 2013). Equally, latest research volumes on sport and mega event

management lack any form of adequate or systematic discussion on the topic (Frawley and

Adair, 2014; Schulenkorf and Frawley, 2016; Schwarz et al., 2017).

The absence of engagement with logistical aspects of management is particularly surprising

given the fact that sport events and competitions are at the very core of almost the entire value

creation of the professional and amateur sports sector. In particular, sports managers implement

and rely on sophisticated logistics management practices as a central element in today’s

increasingly competitive sport business –the transport of the race cars in the Formula 1 circuit

( Jenkins et al., 2016); spectators’mobility at spor t community events and related festivals (Bull

and Lovell, 2007; Rofe and Woosnam, 2016); or the management of permanent and temporary

infrastructure around mega events (Frawley et al., 2016) offer some prominent illustration.

Overall, it appears that sport management can still learn from research conducted in

related management areas, where the consideration of logistics capabilities as strategic

resources for industry-specific competitive advantage has been well documented in recent

decades (see e.g. Christopher and Peck, 1997, on the fashion industry; Dubois et al., 2019, on

the construction industry; Gimenez, 2006, on the food industry; see Morash et al., 1996).

With sports logistics being a field in its infancy, this contribution offers new conceptual

insights and a systematic literature review that synthesizes the research that has been

publishedto date. In particular, the aimof this paper is threefold. First,we review the scopeand

characteristics of sport logistics and logistics management and provide a working definition of

sport logistics management. Second, we propose and explain the new Sports Logistics

Framework (SLF) that is based on central aspects and characteristics of logistics, event and

sport management literature. And third, against the background of the SLF, we undertake a

systematic literature review to analyse and synthesize existing sports logistics management

research, and to highlight future research directions that will prompt further debate and

investigation into thisimportant yet neglected field ofstudy. As such, we argue thatour study

helps to provide a wealth of opportunities for logistics and sports management researchers in

advancing state-of-the-art scholarship in this critical space; and to better understand processes

and disseminate the knowledge between (logistics) man agers and academics.

The remaining paper is structured as follows: in the next section, the scope and

characteristics of sports logistics are identified and key elements of the newly proposed SLF

are outlined. This is followed by the description of the methodological research design used

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