Thirty years of sports innovation: A bibliometric analysis

Abstract

This study describes a systematic bibliometric analysis of sports innovation research, examining its evolution and intellectual structure over 30 years. Adhering to the PRISMA guidelines, the analysis identified 708 relevant SSCI-indexed articles from the Web of Science database. The research employed the VOSviewer and the Bibliometrix package in R to perform co-citation analysis, keyword co-occurrence mapping, thematic evolution tracking, and three-field plot visualization. Findings reveal accelerated growth in the field since 2017, with research organized around three primary thematic clusters: strategic entrepreneurship and organizational innovation, identity-driven consumption and fan engagement, and innovation for health outcomes and programmatic value. The analysis uncovers both foundational theories and emerging research directions, particularly noting the rise of consumer-focused and impact-driven investigations in the field. The interpretation positions the following clusters as essential components of the sports innovation ecosystem: organizations that develop innovations, consumers who influence their adoption, and societal benefits that demonstrate their value. This study identifies underdeveloped areas in management model innovation and recommends the greater use of mixed-methods approaches to better understand stakeholder perspectives. These insights may guide researchers, sports organizations, and policymakers in navigating the developing land-scape of sports innovation and establishing future research priorities in this field.