Sports ecosystems: Assumptions for incorporating marketing strategies in sports clubs

Sports marketing is a reference for the generation of revenue for sports entities incorporating sponsorships lined up to value chain marketing activities in a customer-oriented marketing plan. There are two sorts of sports marketing: marketing of sport, which focuses on sport as an event or entertainment; and marketing through sport, which focuses on products and services. This paper aims to introduce and present four sports ecosystems business models to marketing professionals as assumptions for implementing and applying market orientation to sports clubs. This paper introduces four sports ecosystems derived from academic journals and company reports. However, the authors want to establish the sports ecosystems as inputs or assumptions for preparing a marketing plan for sports entities. Sports marketing depends on sponsorship for designing, executing and controlling the sports entities' value chain by offering benefits to fans who are passionate about their sporting teams.