Blockchain Use Cases and Concepts in Sports: A Systematic Review

Blockchain innovations such as digital fan tokens and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have garnered notable attention in the sports industry, yet the wider industry is struggling to keep up with the pace of digitalization. To harness the potential of blockchain technology, sports management practitioners and information systems (IS) researchers need to gain a much better understanding. Hence, the purpose of this study is to advance the theoretical understanding of blockchain in the sports sector. Thereby, we identify, consolidate, and classify blockchain use cases in the domain through a thorough review of the literature published to date. In addition, we (1) provide an overview and classification of blockchain use cases, (2) identify various opportunities for internal and external stakeholders to benefit from blockchain technology, and (3) derive a theoretical concept for blockchain technology regarding its properties, applications, and stakeholders. Furthermore, we (4) propose beneficial directions for future research in this emerging field.