Soccer in Administration, Accounting, and Tourism:

A Synthesis of Scientific Production on the SPELL Platform from 2017 to 2023

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the academic output on football in Brazilian journals within the fields of Public Administration, Business Administration, Accounting, and Tourism, covering the period from 2017 to 2023 as indexed in the SPELL database. The CAPES classification considered for this period encompasses the years 2017 to 2020. Using the key terms “futebol,” “football,” and “soccer” in titles, abstracts, and keywords, and evaluating topics such as journals, journal classification, authors, authors' institutional affiliations, institutional authorship, appearances in different works, number of authors per work, methodological procedures (problem approach, objective, research strategy, and data collection instruments), subfields, and publication years, a total of 140 articles were identified within the selected scope. Among the notable findings, Podium magazine stands out with a quarter of the sample’s publications. According to this information, nearly four-fifths of the total are from journals classified between A3 and B1. The most prominent author in the survey was Thiago Bruno de Jesus Silva, with seven contributions to distinct works; in total, 315 researchers comprise the sample. Among the institutional affiliations of the authors appearing in the research, the institutions with the greatest impact were the Federal University of Santa Catarina and the University of São Paulo, both of which led in total authors, authorships, and appearances in different articles. In total, 311 institutions were found. Regarding the number of researchers per work, the minimum was one and the maximum was six. However, the most common were articles authored in pairs, making up over 36%, and in threes, nearly 30%. Concerning methodological procedures, a predominance of quantitative approach studies was observed, representing more than two-thirds of the total. As for strategies, the most frequent was documentary, with almost half of the works; other frequently used methods included surveys and case studies, which together accounted for more than 40% of the set. Regarding objectives, descriptive articles were the most common, comprising 65% of the total. Data collection methods were also examined, and the majority were documentary, representing more than half of the studies; other frequently used information-gathering methods included interviews and questionnaires. The subfields with the most research conducted were Marketing, with 46%, Financial Administration, with 30%, and Accounting and Administration of Specific Sectors, each with 23%. Finally, during the analyzed period, there was a higher volume of work conducted in the early years of the sample, from 2017 to 2019. This survey revealed a focus on research within the financial aspects of sports organizations, as well as researchers affiliated with institutions in the states of Santa Catarina and São Paulo. There is also concern with the image and administration of Brazilian football clubs. An important point is that football appears as a research topic in various journals with relevance in CAPES classification, which may indicate that the subject has potential and significance in the areas of Management and Accounting.