Measuring professional sport organizations’ corporate social performance: a mixed methods study

An important gap in corporate social responsibility (CSR) research and practice in sport and beyond stems from a lack of measurement and evaluation. Without clear metrics, CSR initiatives often remain ad hoc, detached from an organization’s core business objectives, and with undervalued social contribution, undermining both the legitimacy and potential impact of CSR. Measuring and transparently reporting corporate social performance (CSP) and its societal impact can drive a shift towards more strategic and accountable approaches to CSR in sport. This research is grounded in Wood’s (1991) CSP model, which conceptualizes CSP in terms of principles, processes, and outcomes. Building on this foundation, the present study applied an explanatory sequential mixed-method design between 2021 and 2023. The research engaged CSR experts from 13 countries across three continents through two phases, with first, a four-round Delphi study with 51 experts, followed by four focus groups involving 31 experts. The Delphi process confirmed nine pillars and validated 10 external and 53 internal indicators deemed accurate for measuring CSP in professional sport contexts. Consequently, the focus groups operationalized the external indicators into a scoring framework with three levels of development: below average, average, and gold standard. These findings advance our understanding of CSP measurement in sport. The study offers sport managers the contours of a framework to measure their CSR performance, enhance transparency, and demonstrate the impact of their social programs. Future research should extend this work by developing standards for the internal indicators and by testing the framework in diverse contexts.