ABSTRACT

This chapter draws on the results of a study that aimed to determine the responsibilities of National sport organisations (NSOs) regarding the impact of their decisions and activities on society and also to understand the influence of sport governance structures on social responsibility at the institutional level. It argues that NSOs also have responsibilities that extend beyond the organisational boundaries of the NSO itself. Socially irresponsible behaviour, or breaches in communities’ expectations of what are the social responsibilities of sport organisations, have significantly compromised NSOs around the world. In practice, NSOs receive significant public funding, hold regulative and normative power and directly influence society. The chapter suggests that the combination of centralised decision-making by non-executive directors, in combination with the systemic, exponential impact from these decisions places an emphasis on the need for future research to investigate social responsibility at an institutional level of analysis.