Editorial: Emerging Digital Technologies as a Game Changer in the Sport Industry

Ekaterina Glebova ^1,2* Yiran Su ³ Pierre-Olaf SCHUT ⁴ Michel Desbordes ⁵

• ¹ Université Paris-Saclay CIAMS, 91405, Orsay,, France
• ² Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• ³ Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States
• ⁴ Université Gustave Eiffel, Bouguenais, France
• ⁵ Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland

clusters, ranging from high-value "Golden Fans" to disengaged segments needing reengagement strategies. By estimating Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), the authors provide actionable insights for targeted marketing, loyalty programs, and personalized engagement initiatives. Their findings highlight the potential of AI-powered segmentation in strengthening football clubs' commercial strategies and optimizing resource allocation.The third one, the research report "Artificial Intelligence Development and Dissemination Impact on the Sports Industry Labor Market" examines how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the sports industry labor market. Ekaterina Glebova, Dag Øivind Madsen, Paulína Mihaľová, Gábor Géczi, Alexandra Mittelman, and Bojan Jorgič explore AI's role in creating new job opportunities, transforming existing roles, and introducing challenges related to automation and ethics. Through a literature review and qualitative interviews with industry professionals, the study highlights the increasing demand for AI-skilled sports analysts, marketing experts, and governance specialists, while also emphasizing the need for upskilling and ethical oversight. As AI continues to drive innovation, understanding its labor market implications is crucial for both industry professionals and policymakers.The fourth article, review entitled "Performance and Healthcare Analysis in Elite Sports Teams Using Artificial Intelligence: A Scoping Review" provides a comprehensive review of AI applications in elite sports teams, focusing on performance enhancement and healthcare management. Adolfo Antonio Munoz-Macho, Manuel Jesus Dominguez-Morales, and Jose Luis Sevillano-Ramos analyze 32 studies to assess how AI is shaping talent identification, game prediction, tactical support, and injury prevention. Their findings reveal that football (soccer) dominates AI research in sports, accounting for 67% of studies, with various machine learning techniques-Tree-based methods, Neural Networks, and Support Vector Machines-being widely used. This review underscores AI's growing role in optimizing athlete performance and health management, offering valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.The fifth and final perspective-format article "Twin Transformation as a Strategic Approach in Sport Management: The Synergy of Digitalization and Sustainability in Sports" introduces the Twin Transformation (TT) framework, which highlights the strategic integration of digitalization and sustainability in sport management. Ekaterina Glebova and Dag Øivind Madsen explore how TT can drive innovation, enhance fan engagement, and promote environmental responsibility within the industry. By synthesizing theoretical insights and real-world examples, the paper demonstrates how TT can reshape operational practices, stakeholder interactions, and long-term strategic planning in sports. The study also calls for further research to deepen our understanding of TT's implications, offering valuable perspectives for researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers navigating the evolving sports landscape.Together, these five articles underscore the rapid digital transformation of the sports industry, where AI, data-driven strategies, and sustainable digitalization are shaping training, business strategies, labor markets, and management practices. As sports organizations continue to embrace technological innovation, these studies provide critical insights for researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers navigating this evolving landscape. The insights from this special issue open up several critical avenues for future research, particularly as digital transformation continues to shape the sports industry. Key research directions and emerging themes that could guide future studies: Developing personalized AI coaching systems that adapt to individual athlete needs. Exploring multi-sport applications of AI-powered training beyond volleyball and football. Investigating the long-term impact of AI-driven feedback on athlete development and injury prevention. Applying advanced machine learning models to enhance fan experience personalization in digital and physical stadium environments. Exploring blockchain and NFTs for new fan engagement strategies in sports marketing. Investigating the impact of AI-driven segmentation on ticketing, merchandising, and sponsorship effectiveness. Analyzing new skill requirements in sports management as AI automates traditional roles. Assessing the need for retraining and upskilling programs for sports professionals. Investigating the role of ethical AI governance in mitigating biases and ensuring fair employment practices. Advancing real-time injury prediction models using wearable technology and AI. Exploring AI's role in mental health monitoring for athletes and sports professionals. Developing ethical frameworks for the use of biometric data in elite sports performance analysis. Assessing eco-friendly digital innovations in stadium operations, merchandising, and event management. Exploring the circular economy in sports-using technology to reduce waste in apparel and equipment manufacturing. Investigating how sports organizations balance digital growth with sustainability commitments in marketing, logistics, and governance. Human-AI Collaboration (The interplay between human expertise and AI decision-making in coaching, refereeing, and sports management, see Pashaie et al., 2024). Extended Reality (XR) in Sport (The impact of AR/VR in training, fan engagement, and immersive experiences, see Basu, 2023). Decentralized Sports Ecosystems (The role of blockchain in athlete contracts, ticketing, and sports governance, see Glebova et al., 2024b). AI Ethics and Fairness in Sport (Developing regulatory frameworks to ensure AI-driven decisions in player scouting, game officiating, and performance evaluations are transparent and unbiased, see Qi et al., 2024).As digital technologies become increasingly embedded in sport, future research must not only push the boundaries of AI-driven innovation but also ensure that these advancements align with ethical, sustainable, and human-centered principles.These research directions will be crucial in shaping the next era of digital transformation in sport.These five articles do not claim to exhaust the subject. Rather, they offer a unique perspective on a reality that is developing at an accelerating pace, while at the same time possessing a strong disruptive potential. The sports sector is not the only one impacted, and not in a completely singular way. The digital transformations taking place in other sectors represent potential technology transfers that could very quickly affect the sports sector. Consequently, the reflections shared here are just a glimpse of what's to come (Santomier, 2024).