Innovation in Sport: Innovation Trajectories and Process Optimization

Whether in terms of practices, equipment or services, the sports sector is characterized by intense inventiveness and is an excellent subject to study innovation processes.
This book provides a sociological reading of these processes, illustrated by case studies that allow us to grasp the complexity of innovation trajectories. The case studies highlight the astonishing pathways, from the origin of inventions to their effective dissemination and use, and including the bifurcations of projects. The “surprises” thus presented refer to an invariant of innovation processes, namely that trajectories are rarely linear and that the control exercised over them is relative. Innovation in Sport concludes with a set of recommendations for optimizing the management of sport innovation. This book is intended for students of sports science and management, as well as for professionals and entrepreneurs in the sports markets.

Bastien Soulé is Professor in the Sport Management Department at the University of Lyon 1, France, and a member of the Laboratory on Vulnerabilities and Innovation in Sport (L-ViS).
Julie Hallé is Associate Professor in the Sport Management Department at the University of Lyon 1, France, and a member of the L-ViS.
Bénédicte Vignal is Associate Professor in the Sport Management Department at the University of Lyon 1, France, and a member of the L-ViS.
Éric Boutroy is Associate Professor in the Sport Management Department at the University of Lyon 1, France, and a member of the L-ViS.
Olivier Nier is Associate Professor in the Sport Management Department at the University of Lyon 1, France, and a member of the L-ViS.