Journal of Marketing Management

An Examination of the Motivations for Sponsorship of Gay Games IX
David Hack

Abstract
Sport sponsorship has evolved into a significant component of the sport marketing mix. While sport sponsorship has emerged as a substantial topic in the marketing and management literature, there is minimal research investigating the growth and prevalence of sponsorship for amateur based sporting events, particularly sporting events which attract predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered participants. Therefore, this exploratory case study set out to examine the motivations of the sponsors of the 2014 Gay Games, in an effort to understand why companies chose to affiliate with the LGBT amateur sporting mega-event. Site observations, document collection and analysis, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 sponsorship decision-makers representing 13 companies in order to investigate reasons which led organizations to enter into sponsorship agreements. Findings indicated that motivations for sponsorship included support for an event with aligned mission and values, a desire to support the northeast Ohio community, and a personal connection to the LGBT community.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jmm.v6n1a3