In a 2025 release, Dr. Daniel Ladik, Dr. Keshav Gupta, Dr. Danielle McArdle, and Temple University Professor of Sport Management Dr. Thilo Kunkel, in tandem, produced a comprehensive study, Powerplay Revisited – Outlining the Future of Sport Marketing Research, a strong addition to the renowned European Journal of Marketing. Dr. Gupta, currently an assistant professor at the University of South Carolina’s College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, received his PhD from Temple University and spent four years with STHM’s Sport Industry Research Center. In light of this article, Dr. Thilo Kunkel and his colleagues’ work deserve to be in the limelight.
As the title of the article suggests, Powerplay Revisited is a culmination of input from twenty-two of the brightest sport marketing minds in an effort to gauge the direction sport marketing is heading into, to provide a template for future research to utilize. For those eager to learn about the industry, as well as those whose careers are deeply rooted in sport marketing’s future, this paper acts as a guide to both observe and contribute to its evolution.
Sport in society is the first of seven key thematic areas that the authors highlight in their findings. Here, sport marketers’ attention will be drawn to how sport organizations contribute to their societal environment off the field in four key areas:
- Impact on society
- Fairness, equity, and inclusion
- Women’s sports
- Athlete safety
Whether it’s marketers or volunteers pushing resources towards community bonding efforts or environmental awareness, this study recognizes the shortcomings of focusing on short-term survival in a sport marketing approach (Ladik et al., 2025).
The following theme of technological advancements in the sport industry is displayed more controversially. Concepts such as AI and blockchain technology are pushed with caution, as both are still in their infancy, with ethical questioning being posed on AI and its usage. Shifting to the consumer experience, emerging technologies such as 5G are being used in stadiums. Virtual reality provides consumers with a new approach to gameday, as well as opening new avenues for advertisers and sponsors. Following the same suit as the technological landscape, eSports continues to grow and should be closely monitored as current studies reveal its intricacies.
The thematic finding of industry relevance acts as a central point of this study, as the practical implication of this study looks “to be relevant to the sport industry and academia simultaneously” (Ladik et al., 2025). To achieve this, the weaknesses in current academic research attempts are put under a microscope, either being lost in purpose or lost in design. Essentially, there is either a lack of usage in academic journals to improve their efforts or a lack of collaboration between researchers and key figures or organizations. Partnership is a crucial word when looking to achieve simultaneous relevance in this context, with a focus on outward transparency with stakeholders. While many partnerships and sponsors have found success in this industry, general effectiveness finds itself in murky water. Creating an environment where the return on marketing investments that are backed by research is visible is vital. Clarity and deeply rooted collaboration can lead to more efficient and effective opportunities.
As alluded to when discussing the technological landscape, the way key demographics consume sport is changing rapidly. As this theme of changing consumer behaviors primarily analyzes Gen Z, technology in and of itself is an important subtheme, as this generation relies heavily on technology in their sport experiences. With technology in the forefront, future studies would look to find both generational and cultural differences in sport organization demographics’ characteristics to improve targeting strategies.
While the ‘what’ of branding for sport organizations is no foreign concept, exploring the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of brand evaluation and impact leaves more to be desired. This piece expresses the importance of questioning the traditional approach to branding. Should branding decision-making be driven by existing supporters or those detached from the sport? Do we truly have a grasp on what the tangible value of a brand is? The study suggests new perspectives in looking to determine sport organization equity, with international expansion and social media usage having a stronger influence than ever on branding.
Changing social behaviors, along with the COVID-19 pandemic, have drastically changed the way sport experiences are perceived. The study notes how fan experiences and engagement face unique influences from sources outside of the sport organization itself. The hold sports gambling and short-form content have on the consumer must be considered by sport marketers. Akin to other main themes, technology becoming the key medium for consuming sport experiences begs the question of how sport marketers can use tech to maintain relationships with consumers outside of the venue.
At last, the seventh highlighted theme suggests and revises methods to increase the quality of sport marketing research, covering the concepts of methodological innovation, experimental design, and longitudinal designs (Ladik et al., 2025). Many scholars in the sport research field call out the repetitive nature of methodologies, calling for innovation in digesting data (rather than repeating previous studies with minute adjustments or variable additions). For example, one suggestion of integrating neuromarketing into methodology shines as a key example of a new approach to examine consumer behavior.
In all, Dr. Thilo Kunkel and his colleagues garnered this professional input into an extensive framework that acts as a blueprint for practitioners and scholars alike to count on as the industry continues its advancements. Such a strong collection of technological, legal, and socio-cultural insight succeeds in its goal to move this industry forward twenty years after Powerplay – Sports Meets Marketing.