Presenting a Model of Factors Affecting Sports Entrepreneurship (Case Study: Lorestan Province)

Purpose: This research aimed to present a model of factors affecting sports entrepreneurship in Lorestan Province. Methodology: The statistical population of this study included all managers and experts affiliated with the General Department of Physical Education and members of sports boards in Lorestan Province (N=275). By referring to the Morgan table, the number of samples was considered to be 191 persons who were selected as categories appropriate to the size of the study population. The research tool was a researcher-made questionnaire prepared based on research goals and experiences of previous studies after reviewing the theoretical foundations and background of the research by professors, elite and experts of this field, which was used after validation. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was also employed to design the model. Findings: The results showed that structural (pc=0.99), environmental (pc=0.88) and behavioral (pc=0.80) factors exert a direct effect on sports entrepreneurship. Social-cultural and technological (factor loading of 0.93), economic-commercial (factor loading 0.89), and political-legal (factor loading of 0.86) factors are involved in the impact of environmental elements on sports entrepreneurship, respectively. Organizational structure (0.96); monitoring, control and evaluation (0.91); scientific-educational and research (0.89) were the most important structural factors influencing sports entrepreneurship, respectively. Also, personality characters (0.94) and specialized features (0.90) played the most crucial role in behavioral aspects of sports entrepreneurship, respectively. Based on the obtained results, influential factors must be considered and managed comprehensively to expand entrepreneurship in Lorestan Province and remove its obstacles. Originality: This article is valuable and unique because it provides a model for the factors affecting sports entrepreneurship in Lorestan Province.