Factors Affecting the Failure of Sports Startups in Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph. D Candidate on Sport Management, Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran,

2 Associate Professor in Sport Management, Sport medicine research center, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Esfahan (khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Esfahan, Iran

Abstract

This study aimed to conduct a structural interpretive modeling of factors affecting the failure of sports startups in Iran. The research methodology employed a mixed-method approach, with qualitative content analysis in the qualitative phase and structural interpretive modeling in the quantitative phase. The participants were selected based on their expertise, experience, representation, diversity, and collaboration capability. The purposive sampling method was used and snowball sampling strategy was employed to conducting interviews with 25 individuals based on theoretical saturation. The data collection tools consisted of semi-structured interviews for the qualitative phase and a 13x13 matrix for the quantitative phase. To ensure the validity and reliability of the results, credibility, transferability, confirmability, process audit, and intra-subject agreement strategies were utilized. The qualitative data analysis was performed through three stages of open, axial, and selective coding, while the quantitative data analysis involved structural interpretive modeling and MICMAC analysis. The findings revealed 13 influential factors on the failure of sports startups, categorized into four levels of relationships based on structural interpretive analysis. Accordingly, a hierarchical relationship model was developed, indicating that in the process of sports startup failure, the neglect of tangible indicators of customers, which stems from fundamental variables such as financial problems, ecosystem weakness, legal issues, and market uncertainties, becomes evident. This result demonstrates that the failure of sports startups follows a complex four-level process, and sports startups need to address all levels of weaknesses as they are interconnected like a chain.

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References

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Journal of New Studies in Sport Management
Volume 7, Issue 2
June 2026
Pages 1-15

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