My name is Max Beer, and I have written my master's thesis on the ecological sustainability in the Bundesliga. In the context of blog posts, I would like to present key findings of this work. While the investigation and results primarily focus on professional football clubs, they can also be applied to a large extent to professional sports clubs.

The influence of gender on CSR issues (CSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility) has been extensively explored in the scientific literature [1]. In distinguishing between genders, it has been observed that men and women process CSR information differently, leading to different perceptions of the communicated measures by clubs [2]. The studies measured the difference by finding that women process CSR information more subjectively and intuitively, while men tend to approach information processing more analytically and rationally ^[3]. It has also been demonstrated that CSR activities perceived by men from a football club have a greater impact on their attitude towards the club [4].

Since, according to the concept of the Triple Bottom Line, ecological sustainability is part of CSR, it was interesting to examine whether the perception of environmental engagement by Bundesliga clubs differs between genders. Such differentiation would be important for communication to target audiences. In an online questionnaire, 414 football fans* were asked about various environmentally sustainable topics regarding their favorite clubs. Out of these participants, 107 identified as female, representing just under a quarter of the total. Zero persons identified as non-binary or diverse genders, leaving 307 respondents who identified as male.

For the statistical analysis, an independent two-sample t-test was conducted, comparing the means of both genders from the online survey and checking whether the means differ significantly from each other. However, the hypothesis that there is a significant difference in the perception of environmental measures by Bundesliga clubs between genders could not be statistically supported. Therefore, the expectation is that there will be the same perception for the communication of climate protection measures. In a more in-depth analysis, it would be interesting to include non-binary gender identities in the study.

*Due to the research design of the master's thesis, fans of six clubs—Eintracht Frankfurt, Schalke 04, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, and Mainz 05—were surveyed from December 10, 2020, to February 28, 2021.

[1] Pérez, A., & del Rodríguez Bosque, I. (2013). Measuring CSR Image: Three Studies to Develop and to Validate a Reliable Measurement Tool. Journal of Business Ethics, 118, 265–286. p. 273

[2] Darley, W. K., & Smith, R. E. (1995). Gender Differences in Information Processing Strategies: An Empirical Test of the Selectivity Model in Advertising Response. Journal of Advertising, 24(1), 41–56. p. 53

[3] Pérez, A., & del Rodríguez Bosque, I. (2013). Measuring CSR Image: Three Studies to Develop and to Validate a Reliable Measurement Tool. Journal of Business Ethics, 118, 265–286. p. 273

[4] Walzel, S. (2019). Corporate Social Responsibility und Fußball – Ein Rückblick auf zehn Jahre internationale Forschung Stefan. In CSR und Fußball: Nachhaltiges Management als Wettbewerbsvorteil – Perspektiven, Potenziale und Herausforderungen (p. 3–28). Berlin: Gabler Verlag. p. 16