Switching for Success?
Institutional Affiliation in Cheerleading and Competitive Performance
Rebecca Staubach
July 2026

Download

Abstract

Drawing on tournament theory and human capital theory, this study examines the effect of changes in institutional affiliation on the sporting performance of cheerleading teams in Germany using a quasi-experimental research design. The analysis focuses on clubs that switched from the Cheerleader Vereinigung Deutschland (CVD) to the Cheerleading und Cheerperformance Verband Deutschland (CCVD). To identify the effect of affiliation changes, a difference-in-differences design is employed and complemented by an event-study approach. The dataset comprises 2,108 competition results from German teams participating in association open Varsity competitions between 2006 and 2026. The results consistently indicate that teams achieved stronger competitive outcomes after switching affiliations. The study contributes to research on sport governance, organisational change and sports economics by moving beyond descriptive comparisons and examining the consequences of actual affiliation switches. The findings suggest that changing institutional environments can influence sporting development and provide evidence that organisational mobility may shape competitive outcomes. More broadly, the results highlight the role of institutional environments in influencing the performance trajectories of sports organisations.