Corporate Social Responsibility and Managing Drugs in Sport

As concerns over drug management in sport (from tobacco tosupplements to doping) become more prominent, discussion of thecorporate social responsibility (CSR) implications of how sportmanages its relationship with drugs has been a striking omissionfrom the literature. Analysis using Dahlsrud’s five dimensions(stakeholders, social, economic, voluntariness and environmental)demonstrates the potential of developing CSR scholarship withregard to drugs in sport. Three conclusions are drawn from theanalysis. First, application of CSR theory and methods can lead tonew insights about the management of drugs in sport. Second,research on CSR in sport needs to engage with issues that threatenrather than promote sport, such as drugs, discrimination,exploitation and violence. Third, the management of drugs in sporthas potential as a test for theory and methods of CSR, especiallycomparative studies. The conclusions indicate linking CSR anddrugs in sport makes potentially valuable contributions to the field.