ABSTRACT
The majority of research related to operations management in the sports industry is relatively immature and underdeveloped. This is despite the fact that the sports sector is a regular focus of study in other disciplines such as economics, tourism, sociology, and medicine. There is a lack of theory-driven sports operations management research. Most examinations on the topic are conducted in isolation and are not linked to the wider operations management theory base (Moxham et al. 2014). This is rather a missed opportunity as sports provide a potential for rich data and findings, given that it is not limited to leagues and competitions, but includes the sporting facilities sector, which incorporates gyms and pools that are offered for public usage. For example, in the US, the total fitness club-industry revenue is sizable and is estimated to be $24.2 billion per annum (Statista 2015). In addition to revenue, other benefits of sports facilities usage include lower healthcare requirements, lower crime rates, better quality of life, and contributions to social redevelopment (Taylor and Godfrey 2003). In this chapter, we seek to present the opportunity to engage in applying core operations management techniques within sports (the whole nine yards!), and to do so, we will cover three areas: i) past history, ii) present situation, and iii) future projections and opportunities. We have purposefully avoided a single sport focus; deciding to present the opportunities across a wider range of disciplines as shown in Tables 24.1 and 24.2 in which several sports are represented with references for the motivated reader to follow up on.
