In this article, we develop a model for measuring corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the club
level in European professional football. Modern CSR management and activities have advanced
considerably throughout most industries since the late 1990s. However, CSR has only gained recog-
nition in the sports management literature very recently, and models to evaluate CSR programs and
activities in the sports context hardly exist. Hence, we conceptualize a CSR Performance Scorecard
based on literature on CSR and sports management as well as empirical exploration into particulari-
ties of the football business. Relevant to scholars and managers alike, this article seeks to motivate
the strategic CSR engagement of professional football. This is achieved through an innovative and
context-specific way for its organizational measurement along quantifiable economic, integrative-
political, and ethical-emotional dimensions. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com)
© 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. • DOI: 10.1002/tie.20448
FEATURE ARTICLE
Introduction
C
orporate social responsibility (CSR) is a rising star
on the business, political, academic, and media
agendas. Arguably, CSR integration offers a va-
riety of benefits to companies—for example, improved
reputation, trust, risk management, and community re-
lationships (Herrmann, 2004). While approaches to CSR
and its management are reaching levels of maturity in
many industries (McKinsey & Company, 2006, 2009), it
By
Tim Breitbarth
Gregor Hovemann
Stefan Walzel
721
Scoring Strategy Goals:
Measuring Corporate
Social Responsibility in
Professional European
Football
Correspondence to: Dr. Tim Breitbarth, TB Advisory, Petersbergstrasse 17, 50939 Cologne, Germany, +49 176 51468600 (phone), tim.breitbarth@otago.ac.nz.