Web-Based Communication of Wooden Sport Equipment: An Analysis Based on Six Olympic Sports

Abstract

Wood has traditionally been used to make sports equipment and playing surfaces. While its use is outdated in several sports, in many others, wood remains well-established or even the material of choice, e.g., to make basketball floors or table tennis rackets. This study aims at evaluating the main drivers of web-based communication of wooden sport equipment. Six Olympic sports in which wood is still used were identified: baseball, skateboarding, skiing, snowboarding, surfboarding, and table tennis. For each sport, five websites of manufacturers were selected based on their page rank. Five evaluators assessed each website, rating the degree to which their discussion of wood intersected with four dimensions (and the related sub-dimensions): environment and ethics, design, wood technology, and communication. Significant differences (p < 0.05) are found among the dimensions, where communication and wood technology scored the higher ratings. Several differences are found among sub-dimensions, for instance in terms of attention given to environmental and social sustainability. Among the various findings, environmental and social sustainability, based on a proper commitment, is a relevant target for the web-based communication of manufacturers of wooden sport equipment. We argue that this is both for ethical reasons, and for market and image purposes.