Assessing the Impacts of Sports Contract Breaches on Public Rights and Social Interests in Popular Sports: A Public Law Perspective

Assessing the Impacts of Sports Contract Breaches on Public Rights and Social Interests in Popular Sports: A Public Law Perspective | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Assessing the Impacts of Sports Contract Breaches on Public Rights and Social Interests in Popular Sports: A Public Law Perspective Mojtaba Ghorbani Asiabar, Morteza Ghorbani Asiabar, Alireza Ghorbani Asiabar This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6730352/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study investigates the multifaceted effects of sports contract breaches on public rights and social interests within the context of popular sports, employing a public law framework. Utilizing a comparative cross-sectional design, we analyzed 212 documented cases of contract violations from major football and basketball leagues across Europe and North America between 2015 and 2024. Advanced statistical techniques, including Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Multivariate Regression Analysis, were applied to assess the direct and indirect impacts on public trust, social welfare, and institutional legitimacy. The findings reveal that breaches of sports contracts significantly undermine public confidence (p < 0.001), reduce perceived social benefits (β = -0.41, p < 0.01), and challenge the legitimacy of governing bodies. Mediation analysis further indicates that transparent legal interventions can mitigate negative outcomes, highlighting the critical role of public law in safeguarding collective interests. These results offer actionable insights for policymakers, legal practitioners, and sports administrators aiming to enhance contractual compliance and promote social responsibility in high-profile sports. Sports contract breach Public rights Social interests Public law Structural Equation Modeling Institutional legitimacy Sports governance Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Statement on Participant Consent: To confirm, all participants involved in the interviews conducted for this research were fully informed about the purpose and scope of the study. Informed consent was obtained from each participant prior to their involvement, in accordance with ethical research standards. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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