Social Media and Sports Management: a Data Envelopment Analysis of the English Premier League

Purpose: The aim of this article is to measure the efficiency of the English Premier League (EPL) football clubs combining sports, financial, and social media indicators. Methodology: For that end, Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has been extensively employed to assess sports productivity. In this particular case, selected inputs are: total assets, wages & salaries, and number of Facebook publications. As outputs, season points, number of Facebook fans, and profits before taxes are considered. Findings/Contribution: Results indicate a direct relationship between table position, efficiency, and profit before taxes and social networks’ use. Intensive utilization of social media can also contribute to the enlargement of a sports institution’s social base, which can also improve its economic resources to be employed on the club’s sport potential.