What is Left Behind? The Legacy of Sports Mega-Events: A Case Study Assessing the Legacy of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil from a Sustainability Perspective
(2022) EKHS35 20221Department of Economic History
- Abstract
- Abstract: The FIFA World Cup, together with the Summer Olympic Games, are the two events classified as sports mega-events (SMEs), characterized by their global outreach and different types of costs. Within the SME realm, a paradoxical trend can be seen; they show stronger sustainability agendas, yet generate higher social, economic, and environmental costs. The overarching question is their legacies; if, in the long run, they contribute to sustainable development of the hosting countries. The 2014 World Cup in Brazil functions as the case study, as it is seen as the point of departure for developing sustainable World Cups, with the agenda to leave a sustainable legacy. However, in terms of legacy, what is promised beforehand is not always... (More)
- Abstract: The FIFA World Cup, together with the Summer Olympic Games, are the two events classified as sports mega-events (SMEs), characterized by their global outreach and different types of costs. Within the SME realm, a paradoxical trend can be seen; they show stronger sustainability agendas, yet generate higher social, economic, and environmental costs. The overarching question is their legacies; if, in the long run, they contribute to sustainable development of the hosting countries. The 2014 World Cup in Brazil functions as the case study, as it is seen as the point of departure for developing sustainable World Cups, with the agenda to leave a sustainable legacy. However, in terms of legacy, what is promised beforehand is not always the same things that are left behind. The aim of this thesis was to analyze how sustainable legacies were operationalized in the case of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and to investigate why the legacy outcomes did not align with the proclaimed legacy objectives. The research question centered on how and why the legacy outcomes in terms of social, economic, and environmental development differed from the legacy objectives. The case was analyzed through the Triple Bottom Line framework, assessing the World Cup’s legacy in the social, economic, and environmental domains. A document analysis of the official FIFA documents, third-party reports, media, and news articles sourced online was used as the main sources of data. In total, 44 documents were consulted. Data analysis occurred in the form of thematic analysis using the qualitative software program NVivo 12. Results suggest that; (1) the event further exaggerated the social development issues within the country, (2) generated economic boosts but no positive economic legacies, and (3) caused severe environmental impacts but the first, albeit small, building blocks for positive environmental legacies. This thesis concludes that the short-term perspective that the event owners and organizers adopt, together with the current business model and gigantism of the World Cups, hamper the chance of leaving a sustainable legacy beneficial for all stakeholders. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9096399
- author
- Brynteson, Maja LU
- supervisor
-
- Kathryn Gary LU
- organization
- course
- EKHS35 20221
- year
- 2022
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Sports Mega-Events, FIFA, World Cup, Brazil, Sustainability, Legacy, Triple Bottom Line
- language
- English
- id
- 9096399
- date added to LUP
- 2022-08-01 08:48:44
- date last changed
- 2022-08-01 08:48:44
@misc{9096399,
abstract = {{Abstract: The FIFA World Cup, together with the Summer Olympic Games, are the two events classified as sports mega-events (SMEs), characterized by their global outreach and different types of costs. Within the SME realm, a paradoxical trend can be seen; they show stronger sustainability agendas, yet generate higher social, economic, and environmental costs. The overarching question is their legacies; if, in the long run, they contribute to sustainable development of the hosting countries. The 2014 World Cup in Brazil functions as the case study, as it is seen as the point of departure for developing sustainable World Cups, with the agenda to leave a sustainable legacy. However, in terms of legacy, what is promised beforehand is not always the same things that are left behind. The aim of this thesis was to analyze how sustainable legacies were operationalized in the case of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and to investigate why the legacy outcomes did not align with the proclaimed legacy objectives. The research question centered on how and why the legacy outcomes in terms of social, economic, and environmental development differed from the legacy objectives. The case was analyzed through the Triple Bottom Line framework, assessing the World Cup’s legacy in the social, economic, and environmental domains. A document analysis of the official FIFA documents, third-party reports, media, and news articles sourced online was used as the main sources of data. In total, 44 documents were consulted. Data analysis occurred in the form of thematic analysis using the qualitative software program NVivo 12. Results suggest that; (1) the event further exaggerated the social development issues within the country, (2) generated economic boosts but no positive economic legacies, and (3) caused severe environmental impacts but the first, albeit small, building blocks for positive environmental legacies. This thesis concludes that the short-term perspective that the event owners and organizers adopt, together with the current business model and gigantism of the World Cups, hamper the chance of leaving a sustainable legacy beneficial for all stakeholders.}},
author = {{Brynteson, Maja}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{What is Left Behind? The Legacy of Sports Mega-Events: A Case Study Assessing the Legacy of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil from a Sustainability Perspective}},
year = {{2022}},
}