Mapping behavioral intention studies in sports marketing research: a review and future research agenda

This study aims to provide a scientific and extensive review of behavioral intention studies in sports marketing research. Also, it informs directions for further studies that help in progressing sports marketing research. 362 articles were extracted using the Scopus database, and an extensive review of these articles was performed using the VOSviewer and Biblioshiny software tools. The performance analysis reveals the most influential articles, authors, sources, organizations, and countries in this domain. The thematic map and trend topic show the domain’s development and relevance. The co-citation network revealed four distinct research clusters, themed (a) Sponsorship in sports marketing, (b) Sports as service, (c) Behavioral intention analysis methods in Sports marketing, and (d) Theories and concepts. Finally, the results are summarized using the Theory, Context, and Methodology (TCM) framework. Along with the TCM framework, cluster analysis will also provide avenues for further studies in the form of research questions pertaining to each research cluster.