Financial Resilience and Strategic Adaptation in the Sports Industry during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

This systematic review examines the financial responses of sports organizations to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on 78 peer-reviewed studies, it compares patterns of resilience across team and individual sports as well as across international and local organizations. This review focuses on differences in revenue structures, financial exposure, and adaptive responses developed during the crisis. Following a PRISMA-based selection process and thematic synthesis, the analysis shows that resilience depended less on sports category or organizational scale alone and more on pre-crisis financial conditions, revenue diversification, and managerial adaptability. Organizations with stronger commercial and broadcasting income were generally better positioned to absorb losses, whereas those dependent on matchday revenue or participation-based income were more vulnerable. The findings also indicate that public support measures and strategic flexibility play important roles in sustaining recovery, especially among smaller and non-commercial entities. The review frames financial resilience in sports as a multidimensional process shaped by structural, institutional, and strategic factors and offers implications for both sports management practice and policy design.