A Bibliometric and Thematic Analysis of Research Trends in the Sports Business Journal: Evolution, Structure, and Future Directions (۲۰۲۱–۲۰۲۵)

Purpose: This study conducts a comprehensive analysis of the Sports Business Journal (SBJ) to map its intellectual structure, publication patterns, and thematic evolution from ۲۰۲۱ to ۲۰۲۵. The aim is to evaluate the journal’s scholarly footprint, identify core and emerging research streams, and provide strategic insights for future research and journal development.Methodology: A mixed-methods bibliometric and content analysis was performed on all ۱۲۰ articles published in SBJ over the five years. Analytical techniques included publication trend analysis, authorship and collaboration profiling, thematic mapping using centrality-density models, keyword co-occurrence and cluster analysis, longitudinal keyword tracking, and methodological classification.Findings: The journal demonstrates a stable, institutionalized publication model with a strong thematic core in Sports Marketing & Branding and Sports Business & Entrepreneurship, predominantly explored through quantitative and mixed-methods designs. Collaboration is high, though largely domestic, and gender diversity is evolving. Thematic evolution reveals a shift from sector-specific and pandemic-responsive research toward integrative themes such as sustainability and innovation, with a recent acceleration in focus on digital transformation (AI, eSports, phygital ecosystems). Notable gaps exist in the marketing mix components, in underrepresented industry segments, and in methodological diversity in qualitative inquiry.Originality: This study provides the first holistic, multi-method portrait of SBJ’s research trajectory, offering an evidence-based assessment of its intellectual maturation and strategic positioning. It identifies not only dominant themes but also critical gaps and emerging frontiers, presenting a structured agenda for researchers, practitioners, and editors to advance the field toward greater theoretical integration, methodological pluralism, and global relevance.

کلیدواژه ها:

Bibliometric analysis ، Research Trends ، Scholarly Communication ، Sports business ، Thematic evolution