Researching sport management

In this chapter we will discuss the importance of sport management research as well as the different research methods currently employed by sport management researchers. By looking at the current state of research in sport management, we can examine what the future of sport management research may look like – how new and innovative ways of conceptualizing and investigating issues of importance to sport management researchers and practitioners can offer potential solutions to emerging problems in the world of sport management research. There is not just one way to do research. Some people do undertake research from this perspective whilst others are critical of the methods used by different researchers. Instead research should be disciplined inquiry, not a set of specific procedures. The two main types of research are basic and applied. Basic research deals primarily with theoretical problems, and these results are not intended to have immediate application. Applied research, on the other hand, strives to answer questions that have direct value to the practitioner. Sport management research is not only important for the researcher. By undertaking relevant research that asks and seeks answers to important questions and issues that are of direct relevance to practitioners, we are developing not only proficient researchers but proficient and informed consumers of research.