Abstract: The protection of sports intangible cultural heritage (SICH) necessitates the fulfillment of a comprehensive triad of authenticity, sustainability, and liveliness. To elucidate the factors influencing the effectiveness of the efforts for the protecting of SICH, this study selected 30 nationwide SICH projects as research cases. By applying the approach of grounded theory, a five-dimensional theoretical model of “structure-action” is constructed, highlighting that the effectiveness of SICH protection hinges on the beneficial interplay among institutional rules, resource endowments, organizational vehicles, inheritance activities, and public engagement. Building on this, the study further validates the theoretical model using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), identifying four types of pathways conducive to positive SICH protecting outcomes: policy mobilization, social transmission, individual operation, and government-society collaboration. Among these, the pathway of policy mobilization underscores the role of policy in mobilizing efforts for the safeguarding of SICH; the pathway of social transmission highlights the crucial impact of the interplay between public participation and inheritance activities; the pathway of individual operation demonstrates the notable efficacy of operational strategies and resource endowments; and the pathway of government-society collaboration underscores the necessity of cooperation between the government and all sectors of society.