Corporate Social Responsibility and Managing Drugs in Sport

As concerns over drug management in sport (from tobacco to supplements to doping) become more prominent, discussion of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) implications of how sport manages its relationship with drugs has been a striking omission from the literature. Analysis using Dahlsrud's five dimensions (stakeholders, social, economic, voluntariness and environmental) demonstrates the potential of developing CSR scholarship with regard to drugs in sport. Three conclusions are drawn from the analysis. First, application of CSR theory and methods can lead to new insights about the management of drugs in sport. Second, research on CSR in sport needs to engage with issues that threaten rather than promote sport, such as drugs, discrimination, exploitation and violence. Third, the management of drugs in sport has potential as a test for theory and methods of CSR, especially comparative studies. The conclusions indicate linking CSR and drugs in sport makes potentially valuable contributions to the field.