Towards the Adoption of e-Refereeing and e-Ticketing in Elite Soccer Championships: an Institutional Perspective

Although the role of IT is salient in sporting mega-events (e.g. instant replay, goal-line technology), IS research has not yet paid any attention to the processes by which technologies are selected for and implemented at these mega-events, the strategies used by actors, nor the consequences of such implementations on actors in related sectors and industries. To tackle this underdeveloped research topic, we focus on the last three UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) soccer championships (2000, 2004, 2008) and we describe how some technologies are adopted (e.g., e-ticketing) while others (e.g., e-refereeing) are not. With an overall goal of deepening our understanding of IT-related institutional work surrounding mega-events in general and sporting mega-events in particular, our objective is to better comprehend the role and actions of institutional entrepreneurs in the selection and implementation of IT for sporting mega-events.