The Social Logic and Operational Mechanisms of Mass Sports Events Breaking Out of Traditional Boundaries: Illustrated by the Example of “Super League of Suzhou”

Abstract

The 2025 Jiangsu Provincial Urban Football League ("Su Chao") has become a groundbreaking phenomenon in mass sports events, achieving remarkable success with a 176-day tournament schedule, over 2.43 million live spectators, and more than 2.2 billion online viewers. Drawing on human economics, media context theory, and collaborative governance frameworks, this study constructs a three-dimensional analytical model of "cultural identity–media empowerment–industry integration" to systematically examine the developmental logic and operational mechanisms behind Su Chao's viral success. Key findings reveal that the league's success stems from: deep-rooted regional cultural integration fostering local identity, new media platforms reshaping communication ecosystems to enable participatory engagement, and multi-stakeholder collaborative governance unleashing synergistic effects across cultural, sports, tourism, and commercial sectors. The core insights emphasize that sustainable mass sports events must adhere to people-centered development principles, establish long-term mechanisms integrating cultural preservation, innovative development, and shared benefits, and transition from event-driven models to ecosystem-driven growth. This research provides theoretical insights for understanding the social value and economic potential of mass sports events in the digital economy era.