Intersections of Governance and Social Responsibility in Sport

To some extent governance and social responsibility can be seen as two sides of the same coin. Governance is a central organizational function that can positively or negatively influence the relationship between organizations and society. In sport management, relatively little research has investigated the extent to which social responsibility and governance intersect. On the one hand this chapter aims to describe the intersection between governance and social responsibility in sport, and on the other hand to develop a future research agenda following Schwartz and Carroll’s (2008) call to link these two research fields. We provide a starting point for a more integrative view of social responsibility that extends beyond discretionary managerial action, to consider the responsibility of the organizational whole. The board of directors’ ability to provide adequate foresight, oversight and insight on social issues becomes key to the impact the organization has on society.