ABSTRACT
Regional sports marketing, as defined by Hautbois and Desbordes (2008), is the field of research that studies how sports contribute, directly or indirectly, to the promotion of a region, understood here as a brand. In this area, major international sporting events and professional sports clubs (especially those belonging to high-profile sports) appear traditionally in the eyes of local policymakers or the general public as the best known and most effective conveyors. If a major international sporting event can allow the host country to benefit from strong media exposure for a short time, a professional sports club is often the “positive” megaphone of a region, usually a town, able to address the general public, potential tourists or business leaders seduced by the energy of the event a priori associated with the sports town. Professional sports are now largely globalized, which is certainly true in France as well as in Europe, North America and increasingly in the rest of the world.
