**8. Final Conclusions**

The theoretical part of this article presents the meaning of sporting events for tourism industry and indicates the negative and positive effects this kind of tourism brings to host cities. The whole refers to the theoretical foundations of the term of "overtourism." The second part presents results of empirical research was conducted by the method of diagnostic surveys during two sporting events of different sporting rank, which took place in Poland and represented various sports disciplines—running and horse riding. The case study is the city of Poznan and two, well-known events in this agglomeration. The first one is Poznan Half Marathon—mass sports event, the second one is Cavaliada—elite equestrian event. A total of 774 respondents took part in the study, resident hosts who took part in the studied events. The main goal of this study was to investigate the impact of non-mega sporting events on quality of the host's life. The detailed aim of the study was to examine whether the inhabitants of the city feel the negative effects of organizing sporting events (communication problems or inappropriate behavior of supporters) and do they believe that these events increase the level of crime in the city or, despite these inconveniences, they are satisfied with the organization of sporting events in their place of residence. This phenomenon can also be referred to the social exchange theory (SET) to analyze the perceptions of residents. Many authors [135,137–139] have continuously drawn on this theory. For example, Homans [137], the author of SET has been applied it to variety of leisure disciplines, to understand the views of local residents with regard to tourism. Harrill [139] states that SET involves the trading and sharing of resources between individuals and groups. Ap [140] things that not only highlights the exchange of resources but has also been expanded to include the mutual benefits that all exchange participants can get. In applying this to tourism, research by Teye et al. [141] indicates that perceived benefits associated with host community improvement led to support of residents. Moreover, Waitt [142] has found that enthusiasm of the residents and support varied according to how tourism events were perceived either positively according to the benefits derived or negatively with respect to any costs incurred from what they supplied. It is essential that event organizers and affiliates consider the local voices about the sport tourism event.

The results of the presented research show that both athletes as well as fans of the Half Marathon said that the Poznan Half Marathon causes bothersome communication problems in the city. Cavaliada, as an international equestrian event, causes onerous communication difficulties only in the opinion of 31.5% of researched respondents. Therefore, the Half Marathon made public transport much more difficult than Cavaliada situated in one place—Poznan Trade Centre. It also turned out that in the opinion of most of the researched fans and athletes, the surveyed events did not cause inadequate behavior of fans in the city or an increase in crime in the city and people are satisfied with the organization of these events. It turns out that the inhabitants, despite minor inconveniences that are felt as a result of organizing sporting events in the city, must also see the benefits. The negative impact of Cavaliada was very low. For checking the difference between the two examined groups of

respondents: Half Marathon fans and Cavaliada fans, Chi-square test and Mann Whitney's test was used. The participants feel bothersome communication problems that cause the Half Marathon and have an average level of dissatisfaction higher than the average level of dissatisfaction of Cavaliada participants. Moreover, the participants of the half marathon have an average level of satisfaction with the organization of sports events in Poznan significantly lower than the average level of satisfaction of Cavaliada participants. Therefore, an elite sporting event is less burdensome for its residents and gives them more satisfaction. They do not think the event will harm them. However, they are aware of social exchange and profits for the city. The conclusions and reflections resulting from these studies can be used by organizers of non-sporting events and be their inspiration. Importantly, the inhabitants play an important role in the development of sustainable tourism, because they are cultural agents and the social group in which tourism is provided and local hospitality is a key element of the tourism product [143].

The paper provides data that may be useful for support marketing events such as half marathons. The popularity of sporting events participation fulfills a number of important sociocultural functions in the modern world. The most important include enabling sports tourists to build a sense of connection and integration with other people, thanks to which sports events become a postmodern form of participation in social life. Further research should go towards recognizing the importance and impact of small sporting events on people's lives and their environment. These types of events are definitely less recognized but their growing popularity indicates great importance for the development of cities and regions, tourism and economics.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, E.M.-M.; methodology, E.M.-M.; software, J.P.; validation, E.M.-M.; formal analysis, J.P., E.M.-M.; investigation, E.M.-M.; resources, J.P., E.M.-M., A.D., M.K., F.G.; data curation, J.P., E.M.-M.; writing—original draft preparation, J.P.; writing—review and editing, J.P.; visualization, J.P.; supervision, E.M.-M., J.P.; project administration, J.P., E.M.-M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
