Identifying drivers affecting the dynamics of sports businesses in the post COVID-19 era

Objective: “The purpose of this paper was to identify the factors affecting the dynamics of sports business after the COVID-19 pandemic and to find ways to meet the needs of having clear foresight and radical progress in this constantly changing environment.Methods This research was of a qualitative type, using the thematic analysis method. The statistical population includes managers of sports businesses, faculty members of entrepreneurial management faculties, faculty members of physical education and sports science faculties with expertise in entrepreneurship and business management, and members of the employment and entrepreneurship working group of the Ministry of Sports and Youth. We used the snowball sampling method to select the research sample. A total of 19 interviews were conducted and recorded in this study.Findings In this research, six themes were identified: management capabilities with three factors, organizational capabilities with three factors, marketing capabilities with four factors, technological capabilities with two factors, macro level challenges with four factors, and networking capabilities with three factors. Conclusions Considering the extent and importance of sports businesses, as well as the unique features of this type of business, identifying the factors that affect the dynamics can help sports businesses in organizational planning to get out of the crisis.