Corporate social responsibility of sports club in the era of coronavirus pandemic. Zagłębie Sosnowiec case study

Abstract

The aim of the study is to identify, and present the CSR practices that have been, and are also currently being implemented by football clubs in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, it also strives to assess the impact of these practices on media coverage. The results of the research show that among the posts published by Zagłębie Sosnowiec on social media platforms, such as their official Facebook profile, and the posts about the results of the matches, tend to achieve the greatest reach. However, on the contrary, posts presenting the ongoing CSR initiatives for the local community come tend to take a backseat, and are considered to be secondary. Furthermore, when it comes to other posts that are related to sports activities or personalities (footballers' birthdays, match previews and information about sponsors), their reach does not tend to differ. From an empirical point of view, this study proves that CSR activities are an imperative element of building relationships with the club’s stakeholders.