Institutional pluralism and social involvement: the institutional logics underlying the practices of French sport clubs’ charitable foundations

Purpose This study aims to explore the institutional logics (ILs) underlying the social initiatives implemented by French professional sport clubs’ charitable foundations (CFs). Design/methodology/approach The authors used a multiple case study design to capture the ILs underlying the practices of team sport clubs’ CFs. Focusing on seven French professional clubs, the authors identified the ILs at work by analyzing means–ends relationships and then attributed these ILs to the most appropriate institutional orders. These analyses drew on a combination of primary data, obtained via 20 semi-structured interviews with executives and board members from each club, and secondary data, retrieved from official documents such as financial reports, CSR reports and archival materials. Findings The cross-case analysis provided an overview of four ILs, identified through the means–ends relationships of the practices observed, encapsulated within the four institutional orders to which they are connected (market, community, sporting and state). These findings established the hierarchy of the ILs and institutional orders underlying the social involvement practices that professional clubs implement through their CFs. Originality/value By translating ILs into institutional orders, this study of CFs in professional sport contributes to research on constellations of ILs in complex institutional environments. It also provides an analytical framework for future studies of the organizational institutionalism underlying sports philanthropy.