Date of Award
Summer 2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Communication
First Advisor
D'Urso, Scott
Second Advisor
Feldner, Sarah
Third Advisor
Pokrywczynski, James
Abstract
The practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has always been integral to sports organizations and is increasing rapidly in popularity. However, scholars have found that there is no true definition of CSR that describes what it is, whom it should help, and how it should be communicated to stakeholders. This thesis examines the CSR initiatives of four major U.S. sports leagues and their teams, as well as how these initiatives are communicated to fans and other stakeholders through the websites associated with these organizations. This study found these organizations make CSR information readily accessible to their stakeholders and participate in similar initiatives.