the present study aimed to identify the barriers to starting sports businesses in Mazandaran province. The research method was descriptive-analytical and was conducted in the field. The statistical population of the study was 180 owners of small and medium-sized sports businesses in Mazandaran province; due to the limited number of members of the community, the statistical sample was selected as a total of 180 people. The instrument used in the study was a researcher-made questionnaire that examined the barriers to starting small sports businesses. The content validity of the questionnaires was confirmed by 10 experts and its reliability was calculated in a preliminary test with 30 subjects and with Cronbach's alpha (α=0.85). Descriptive and inferential statistical methods, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, confirmatory factor analysis, and Friedman test were used to analyze the data results using SPSS version 22 software. There is a statistically significant difference between the average ranking of barriers to starting small sports businesses in Mazandaran province, with infrastructure and cultural barriers having the highest ranking and knowledge and information barriers having the lowest ranking. According to the findings, it is suggested that the government should provide its support infrastructure for sports businesses in a way that is accessible to everyone. Banks and financial institutions can play an important role in supporting businesses by providing the financial sector and reducing administrative bureaucracy in the administrative sector and granting licenses.