The influence of sport leagues on the business-to-business marketing of teams: the case of professional road cycling

Purpose - This study seeks to examine how a sport league, a unique feature of professional sport, influences the business-to-business marketing of teams participating in the sport league. Design/methodology/approach - This study uses a qualitative research design based on a single case study, the UCI Pro Tour in professional road cycling. The primary sources consist of 27 semi-structured interviews complemented by written sources and controlled for construct validity, external validity and reliability. Findings - From a theoretical point of view, a sport league is a marketing channel network (a specific type of an intentionally developed business network or IDBN). Theoretical analysis also reveals that the teams' business-to-business marketing is positively related to the network's value-creating system. Empirically, it is argued that the introduction of a marketing channel network has a positive influence on the financial value of the teams' business-to-business market but does not result in a change in the business demographics of corporate sponsors. Research limitations - The study has possible sport-specific limitations. Practical implications - Business-to-business marketers and sport league managers should pay attention to the characteristics of the sport league as these influence the teams' business-to-business market. This is especially valid for sports in which teams rely strongly on sport sponsoring and, to a lesser extend, on gate revenues, television rights and prize money. Originality/value - For the first time, this study examines and provides data on the business-to-business environment of teams in professional road cycling. It contributes to the literature of international sport marketing and professional road cycling, a sport gaining momentum in various countries and which is understudied in comparison to other sports.