Articles in this issue:

• Introduction to International Journal of Sport Finance (IJSF)’s Special Edition on the 14th European Sport Economics Association (ESEA) Conference

  David Butler

  Robert Butler

  and Patrick Massey

  The local organizers of the 14th ESEA Conference introduce the articles featured in this special issue of IJSF.Read more

• Effects of the Rule Change From Three to Five Substitutions in the Bundesliga

  Alexander Dilger and Lars Vischer

  The COVID-19 pandemic has led to massive restrictions and changes in many different areas of life, including professional sports. In football, many games were cancelled and then, with the unchanged maximum of three time-outs, five substitutions were allowed instead of three—initially temporarily, now permanently. We analyze the impact of this rule change on coaches’ substitution decisions, comparing 836 games with three possible substitutions and 1,000 games with five possible substitutions in the six seasons from 2017/2018 to 2022/2023 of the Bundesliga (first division of German men’s...Read more

• More Market and Less Regulation? Fan Attitudes Toward the Governance of the Russian Premier League

  Kristoff Reichel

  Ilia Sannikov

  Christian Brandt

  and Markus Kurscheidt

  Russian football is currently excluded from international competitions as a political sanction due to the military conflict. Despite this, matches in the national football leagues are continuing, and fans still attend professional football matches in the Russian Premier League (RPL). As fans’ attitudes toward aspects of Russian football governance are largely unexplored, the question arises how fans evaluate the governance of the Russian Premier League. Therefore, this article presents evidence from the first large survey of RPL supporters (N = 4,090) with a focus on consumer culture and...Read more

• Who You Publish With Matters: The Effects of Authorship Composition on Citations of Sports Economics Publications

  Katrin Scharfenkamp

  Lara Lesch

  and Pamela Wicker

  The number of citations per publication is an established metric to evaluate scientists’ research impact. Therefore, it is important for scientists to learn how to potentially increase their publications’ citations. This study investigates whether and how the authorship composition regarding research impact, gender diversity, and cultural diversity affect citations of sports economics publications. Data of all sports economics publications in the International Journal of Sport Finance, Journal of Sports Economics, Contemporary Economic Policy, and Economic Inquiry (n = 926; 2006‒2020) and...Read more

• Substitution Effects and the Demand for Over-the-Top Sports Broadcasts: The Case of German Volleyball

  Georgios Nalbantis and Paul Kühne

  Despite the growing popularity of over-the-top (OTT) services and their advantages for non-mainstream sports, empirical research on the demand for OTT sports content remains limited. Our study addresses this gap, offering detailed insights into substitution effects and nuanced viewer preferences, with a focus on the German volleyball market. Econometric models reveal that, even with the rise of OTT services, fans still prefer watching games on traditional TV platforms when given the choice. The study uncovers intriguing dynamics in volleyball viewership, indicating that OTT viewers of...Read more