Serious game top eleven as an educational tool in sports economics

Abstract

The present study aims to explore the use of the serious game Top Eleven as an auxiliary educational tool in a sports economics undergraduate course. This attempt is warranted because serious games can provide real life/work experiences and set the ground for managerial – economics skills development. The selection of the specific serious game is based on the ample and varied sports economics data provided and its free of charge online accessibility. Following the case study methodology, a virtual football club was created and managed within Top Eleven. The stated research questions were based on the analysis and application of the generated data to a number of economic concepts identified in a specific sports economics textbook. Based on the analysis results, twelve out of 17 in total identified economic concepts were successfully analyzed using eleven economic data sources of items embedded in the game. The implementation phase showed that Top Eleven could be used as an educational supporting tool in the form of a virtual internship to gain practical experience by applying sports economic concepts for the financial management of a professional football club. It is argued that the game offers a sensible working environment in sports economics and the associated sport management field.