Rigour and relevance in sport management: reconciling the competing demands of disciplinary research and user-value

Sport management as a field of study is necessarily context-bound but this has often meant that our research is seen as sector-specific and hence lacking the generality to merit publication in top academic journals. Yet our recognition of the importance of context means that sport management is well placed to provide research with real-world impact. And as national research evaluation programmes put greater emphasis on user-value in academic research, sport management has an opportunity to grow in stature both within academia as well as externally in the sports industry. Drawing on alternative policy models of research, particularly Stokes’s concept of Pasteur’s Quadrant, I propose a taxonomy of sport management research illustrated by specific examples. I argue that sport management needs to be more active in promoting evidence-based practice in sports organisations. I conclude with concrete proposals to improve the rigour and relevance of sport management research.