Sport in the Iberian Peninsula: Management, Economics and Policy

This is the first book in English to offer an overview of the development of the sport industry in Spain and Portugal, examining the social, economic, cultural, and political impact sport has had in this region and on world sport more broadly.

Drawing on sources in Spanish and Portuguese, the book presents important new perspectives and empirical material not previously available to English-speaking audiences. With a strong focus on management, development, economics, governance and law, set in a broader historical and socio-cultural context, the book explains the unique characteristics of the sport industry in the Iberian Peninsula. It takes a deep dive into Spanish and Portuguese football - in many ways the centre of gravity of Iberian sport - and into sport tourism, a hugely significant component of the broader economy of the region. The book also considers important emerging themes in Iberian sport, from the development of women’s sport to the global profile of Cristiano Ronaldo and Rafael Nadal, and considers the wider influence of Iberian sport across the wider Hispanic diaspora.

This is fascinating and illuminating reading for anybody with an interest in sport business and management, global sporting cultures, international business, or Hispanic or Latin American studies.

Jerónimo García-Fernández is Associate Professor in sports science in the department of physical education and sport at the Universidad de Sevilla, Spain. His research focuses on the management of fitness centers, customer loyalty, consumer perception, digital transformation, customer satisfaction, and analysis of professional profiles linked to the sport and fitness sector. In 2016, he was the President of the Ibero-American Congress on Sports Economics that took place in Spain, and in 2020 and 2021 was the President of the International Conference on Technology in Physical Activity and Sport. He is the CRDO (Chief Research and Development Officer) of Fitbe Spin-off, a university startup focused on consumer management in fitness centers.

Moisés Grimaldi-Puyana is Associate Professor in sports science in the department of physical education and sport at the Universidad de Sevilla in Spain. His research examines the management of sport organizations, and particularly the perceived satisfaction and customer loyalty of clients in sport organizations. Moreover, he has studied the management and recreation of sport organizations, and conducted professional profiles linked to the sports sector. He has led multiple projects related to sport with agencies in both the public and private sectors. Many of these projects have focused on the transfer of researcher findings to the needs of these sports organizations.

Gonzalo A. Bravo is Associate Professor of sport management in the College of Applied Human Sciences at West Virginia University, USA. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in sport governance, international sport, research methods, and socio-cultural and ethical dimensions of sport. His research examines issues on organizational behavior, and the policy and governance of sport. He has given more than 100 presentations in sport management and sport sociology at conferences hosted all over the world, and been invited to give keynote addresses in universities in Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Macao, Japan, Korea, Mexico, United States, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.