From Innovation-Driven Growth to New Quality Productive Forces in Sports: Insights from Innovation Economics and the Path for Chinese Football

Abstract

To address the strategic demands of “New Quality Productive Forces,” this paper utilizes a “Capital-InstitutionKnowledge” ternary framework based on innovation economics to examine professional football governance. Through a comparative analysis of European experiences (EPL, Bundesliga, UEFA) and Chinese practical dilemmas, the study reveals that China’s stagnation stems from a structural mismatch between short-term capital behavior, administrative institutional rigidity, and an underdeveloped cultural soil. The findings argue that innovation is not spontaneous but relies on a rule-oriented polycentric governance structure. Consequently, the paper proposes that Chinese football must transition from an administrative control system to a rule-based institutional framework, fostering an ecosystem rooted in long-termism and a “useful knowledge” culture.