Abibliometric examination of the sports law landscape mapping

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to use bibliometric methodologies to investigate the area of sports
law research, emphasizing topic patterns, subject emphasis, and the development of legal
discourse. The paper emphasizes how sports law has developed into an interdisciplinary field that
touches arbitration, government, health, and human rights. Using information from the Scopus
database covering the years 1983 to 2025, the research does bibliometric analysis. Co-occurrence,
clustering, and network analysis are made easier using VOSviewer. It provides a methodical
evaluation of the field's evolution by outlining publishing trends, top nations, essential topics, and
keyword interrelationships. Since 2010, publications have increased significantly, reaching their
highest points in 2021 and 2024. The main contributors are the United States and the United
Kingdom, and the majority of articles are in the social sciences. Arbitration and basic rights,
athlete welfare, regulatory governance, and legal concerns pertaining to doping and equality are
the four main subject clusters that emerge. "Sports law" is the primary keyword, along with
phrases like arbitration, anti-doping, and human rights, according to keyword research.
Policymakers, legal academics, and sports organizations may use the results to better understand
research trends, promote informed policymaking, and solve concerns pertaining to athlete rights,
doping, and discrimination. This is one of the few thorough bibliometric analyzes in sports law
that links scholarly understanding with real-world legal and social requirements.