Is doping really a problem? How sponsors make sense of a sport with a dubious image

Abstract

ABSTRACT Doping is claimed to create a negative image of sport, and of professional cycling in particular. Yet few studies have investigated interrelations between doping and sponsorships. Thus, this study aims to answer the question: How do company representatives make sense of sponsoring a sport like cycling with its dubious doping image? Theoretically informed by a sensemaking perspective and the strategy-as-practice approach, this interpretive study draws on sixteen semi-structured interviews with managers who, in the period between 1998 and 2016, were engaged in sponsoring professional Danish cycling. Findings reveal that cycling is more than just a sport with a dubious image as multiple frames such as sporting levels, existing business landscapes, personal interests and sport-for-all practices influence managers’ sensemaking. Furthermore, doping occasionally creates an advantage for sponsors. Accordingly, the study contributes to a research field dominated by quantitative marketing methodologies.