Research Trends and Thematic Structures in Sports Marketing: A Bibliometric Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70736/2958.8332.kosalb.76Keywords:
Sports Marketing, Bibliometric Analysis, Consumer Behavior, Sponsorship, Digital MarketingAbstract
Study aim(s): This study aims to examine the sports marketing literature using bibliometric analysis in order to identify research trends, academic collaboration networks, and the conceptual structure of the field.
Methods: A total of 481 articles published in English between 2016 and 2025 were retrieved from the Scopus database using the keywords “sport marketing” and “sports marketing.” Data were analyzed using VOSviewer software. The analyses examined annual publication trends, the most cited countries, author co-authorship networks, bibliographic coupling of documents, and keyword co-occurrence. The study selection and data inclusion process followed the PRISMA guidelines.
Results: The findings indicate a steady growth in scientific output over the study period. The United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom show the highest citation impact. Co-authorship analysis revealed collaboration patterns among authors, while keyword co-occurrence analysis identified “sport marketing,” “social media marketing,” “sponsorship,” “consumer behavior,” and “fan identification” as prominent themes.
Conclusions: The results show that sports marketing research is organized around behavioral, brand-oriented, and increasingly digital-focused themes. While behavioral approaches remain central, digital marketing and athlete branding are emerging as distinct research directions. This study provides an overview of research trends and thematic structures in the field, serving as a reference point for future research.
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