In a globalised society, characterised by increasingly demanding markets and the accelerated growth of the digital approach, sports organisations face the challenge of connecting with fans, generating and maintaining audiences and communicating with stakeholders creatively and efficiently. Social media has become a fundamental tool, with engagement as a critical measurement element. However, despite its popularity and use, many questions about its application, measurement and real potential in the sports sector still need to be answered. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to carry out a descriptive and comparative analysis of the engagement generated through social media posts by elite football clubs in Europe, South America and North America. To this purpose, 19,745 Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts were analysed, through the design, validation and application of an observation instrument, using content analysis techniques. The findings show evidence of a priority focus on “Marketing” and “Sports” type messages in terms of frequency, with high engagement rates. They were also showing a growing stream of “ESG” type messages, with a low posting frequency but engagement rates similar to “Marketing” and “Sport”. “Institutional” messages remain constant in all football clubs. “Commercial” messages still have growth potential in both regards, frequency and engaging fans, representing an opportunity for digital assets. Also, specific format combinations that generate greater engagement were identified: “text/image” and “text/videos” are the format combinations more used by football clubs on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; however, resulting in different engagement rates. This study showed evidence of different social media management strategies adopted according to region, obtaining similar engagement rates. This research concludes with theoretical and practical applications that will be of interest to both academics and practitioners to maximise the potential of social media for fan engagement, social initiatives and as a marketing tool.

The main aim of this study was to investigate the acute effects of the use of a weighting set (Powerinstep®) on measures of stroke velocity (StV), accuracy and change of direction speed (CODS) in junior tennis players. A within-subjects design was used to evaluate seventeen (6 female and 11 male) tennis players (mean ± SD; 16.5 ± 1.3 years old; 1.75 ± 8.4 m; 67.0 ± 8.1 kg; 22.04 ± 1.8 kg/m²) on StV of three specific tennis actions (serve, forehand and backhand) and CODS for the following conditions: wearing a 50, 100, 150, 200 g weight or no weight at all (baseline). No significant differences were found between conditions for forehand (F = 0.412; p = 0.799), backhand (F = 0.269; p = 0.897) and serve (F = 0.541; p = 0.706) velocity and forehand (F = 1.688; p = 0.161), backhand (F = 0.567; p = 0.687) and serve (F = 2.382; p = 0.059) accuracy and CODS (F = 0.416; p = 0.797). Small-to-moderate effect sizes (ES) negatively affecting StV when using 200 g compared to the baseline (ES = 0.48, 0.35 and 0.45) could be observed. Moderate (ES = -0.49) and trivial (ES = -0.14 and -0.16) ES for a higher accuracy score were noticed in serve, forehand and backhand 100 g compared to the baseline. Moreover, small ES (ES = 0.41) for improvement in 200 g CODS comparing to baseline conditions were found. These results indicate that the use of a weighting set does not significantly affect StV or CODS respectively. Notwithstanding, small-to-moderate changes show impact in accuracy and no variance in velocity production when using 100 g alongside faster execution in CODS when using 200 g.

Risk management has emerged as a critical focus area in sports organisations due to the increasing complexity of operations, governance challenges, and unexpected events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. These organisations face a wide range of risks, including financial instability, legal liabilities and operational disruptions, among others. Effective risk management, which involves identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential threats to an organisation's objectives, is critical for ensuring their resilience and long-term sustainability. A comprehensive understanding of the current state of risk management in this context is vital for the development of strategies that address these multifaceted challenges.

Este estudo contribui para a literatura existente sobre comunicação esportiva, fornecendo evidências sobre como as organizações esportivas se comunicaram nas redes sociais durante a pandemia de covid-19. Para isso, procedeu-se a uma análise de conteúdo das publicações nas redes sociais Facebook, Twitter e Instagram de cinco grandes competições: Liga ENDESA ACB, TURKISH AIRLINES Euroleague, NBA, La Liga e UEFA Champions League. No total, 2.425 publicações coletadas em um período de duas semanas (1º de abril a 15 de abril de 2020) foram analisadas. Os resultados mostraram que, apesar das diferenças encontradas do ponto de vista descritivo, após a análise estatística, as organizações esportivas analisadas optaram por uma estratégia de gestão semelhante para suas redes sociais. Essas descobertas podem ajudar a entender como as organizações esportivas lidaram com a covid-19 e ajudá-las a enfrentar crises futuras com maior percepção de suas ações passadas.