紐西蘭棒球俱樂部的經營特色與困境超克

New Zealand Baseball Clubs’ Operational Characteristics and How They Overcome Predicaments

本研究之目的在從運動俱樂部經營內外部因素的觀點，兼顧歷時性的發展以及與主流運動間的共時性競爭，更立體地描繪紐西蘭棒球俱樂部經營的發展與克服困境的經營舉措。研究方法為文獻分析和半結構式深度訪談法，訪談對象為紐西蘭棒球協會前會長、會長、俱樂部負責3人共五位受訪者。研究結果發現新興的紐西蘭棒球俱樂部因為政府補助少、場地不易租借、主流運動的競爭、參與人口少、缺乏媒體關注等外部環境的限制，導致會員招募不易、持續有資金缺口、棒球技術無法提升的困境，但是歷屆的經營者則透過異於主流運動慣有的招募方式，利用電視媒體和名人宣傳，借用橄欖球的知名度籌措資金創立品牌，都是非常有創意的經營巧思。結論:因為外部環境非常困頓，所以紐西蘭棒球俱樂部的經營特色為「借力使力，逐步開拓」，善用主流運動所創造出的認同與名人的知名度，找尋適合當地的生存模式，克服困境，一步步將棒球運動推展至全國，成為逐漸茁壯的運動。

The study aims to depict the development of New Zealand baseball clubs and how they overcome the barriers of management, taking diachronic development and synchronic competition with major sports into account from the perspective of internal and external factors of sports club operation. Research methods included literature analysis and in-depth semi-structured interviews with five interviewees, including the former and current CEO of Baseball New Zealand as well as three presidents of baseball clubs. The study found that due to restrictions from external environment, such as low government subsidies, difficulty in renting fields, competitions with mainstream sports, low participation in baseball, and lack of mass media attention, New Zealand baseball clubs have been faced with several hindrances including difficulty in recruiting members, funding crunch, and inability to improve baseball skills. However, operators have used multiple strategies to recruit members, such as through TV and celebrities promotion, using the popularity of rugby to raise funds and establish brands, which is creative and different from mainstream sports. Conclusion: The external environment of New Zealand Baseball Club is terribly hard, and therefore, to find a local survival model, they have to strive for a gradual development and make good use of the identity created by mainstream sports and the popularity of celebrities, by which gaining more possibilities in promoting baseball to become a popular sport to the whole country.