Directions for future IS research on sports digitalisation: A stakeholder perspective

In this theoretical review, we analyse the IS literature on the rapidly evolving strategic phenomenon of sports digitalisation. We provide insights on how sports digitalisation is currently understood in the IS literature when examined from a stakeholder perspective. Our analysis identifies the key stakeholders involved in sports, the competition stages (i.e., before, during, or after), the nature of digitalisation in sports, and the key outcomes on which the literature focuses (behavioural, cognitive, and performance-related). Our analysis also points out several gap areas in the extant literature: the lack of attention paid to non-competing stakeholders (e.g., managers, referees, spectators) and the behavioural impact of digitalisation on stakeholders during competitions; and the current focus on analysing the effect of a single digitalisation solution on a single stakeholder. Building on these findings, we propose three future directions to advance research on sports digitalisation. First, future research needs to examine the effect of digitalisation on an eco-system of sports stakeholders. Second, the use of naturalistic reality images as a data source would enhance research during competition. Last, future studies need to consider the blending of borrowed (behavioural and cognitive) theories and novel digitally-enhanced concepts to strengthen the theoretical foundations of sports digitalisation in Information Systems.