Sport Sponsorship in the Logic of Value Co-Creation

Major sport events are highly relevant from both an economic and societal perspective. Sport sponsorship has developed to an important funding source. Sport sponsorship is still predominantly characterised as a dyadic relationship between the sponsor and the sponsee. Considering sponsorship portfolios of sport events, including multiple sponsors, a dyadic perspective on sponsorship seems rather narrow-minded. Furthermore, this perspective neglects other essential actors, such as fans, sponsors’ decision-making units, media companies, sport marketing agencies, other sponsors, politicians and athletes. In this chapter, we adopt a holistic network perspective and apply the concept of value co-creation to sport event sponsorship. In doing so, we conceptualise major sport events as engagement platforms enabling and facilitating the actors’ value co-creation involved in sport event sponsorship. Based on this theoretical perspective and an exemplary illustrative case, we provide research and management implications to enhance the financial and social value for sponsors and sponsees.