Beyond the game: racism, crisis management and social responsibility in professional football

Purpose Racism is a sensitive social issue, and despite all educational initiatives and social marketing campaigns, its occurrence persists, affecting various sectors, including sports. Due to the limited research on this topic, this study aims to use an exploratory qualitative approach to examine how crisis management strategies impact reputational risks in sports clubs facing racism-related incidents and the stakeholders’ perception of clubs’ corporate social responsibility (CSR). Design/methodology/approach In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with six sports marketing professionals from Portugal’s premier professional football league clubs. Findings The research identified impulsive and instrumental racism as the most frequent types encountered in sports. Internal and external stakeholders drive these behaviors, each requiring distinct marketing responses. Racism incidents within sports organizations were classified into three categories: full crisis, internal stakeholder crises and paracrisis, each demanding a tailored crisis management approach. The study also found that actual and perceived organizational reputation are significantly enhanced when systematic CSR and social marketing strategies are consistently applied. Originality/value This research contributes to the sparse literature on racism in sports and its implications for the reputation of the organization’s CSR. It provides insights into the crisis management strategies needed to mitigate its impact on sports organizations.