Environmental matters in sport: sustainable research in the academy

Abstract

Research Question: Climate change continues to be a critical issue that impacts the ways we produce and consume sport. The extent to which sport responds to climate change (e.g. minimizing carbon emissions, adapting to climate impacts) will become more dire. Thus, it is crucial for sport to respond now to address current and emerging sustainability challenges. The popularity of sport can create opportunities to promote and influence individual behaviour change and drive organizational efforts to be environmentally sustainable.Research Methods: The sport management academy is currently limited in its efforts to highlight, examine, and educate industry and students on the issues raised due to changes in the natural environment and the impact on the sport sector. The five articles included in this special issue aim to begin to bridge this gap. Results and Findings: Sport is not inherently sustainable or unsustainable. We introduce this special issue to provide an overview of the current and future environmental challenges in sport management. Implications: We encourage sport researchers to critically assess existing practices and enhance the management knowledge that not only influences the world of sport and sport managers, but also policymakers and sport fans on mitigating the impacts of climate change. We hope the following articles spark ideas, discussions, and further research projects.

The quest for sustainable sports management: evidence from the football industry

“…gender diversity, assaults and scandals, DEIB – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging – issues) will become more dire. Thus, it is crucial for sport to respond now and to address current and emerging sustainability challenges (Breitbarth et al ., 2023). The popularity of sport can create opportunities to promote and influence individual behaviour change and drive organizational efforts to be environmentally sustainable.…”

“…The popularity of sport can create opportunities to promote and influence individual behaviour change and drive organizational efforts to be environmentally sustainable. Yet, since it has been demonstrated that sport is not inherently sustainable or unsustainable, several call for papers (Breitbarth et al ., 2023; Cury et al ., 2023) are still encouraging sport researchers to critically assess existing practices and enhance the management knowledge that not only influences the world of sport and sport managers but also policy-makers and sport fans on mitigating the impacts of environmental and social issues worldwide.…”

Measuring Green Practices in Sport: Development and Validation of a Scale

“…The sports industry may harm the natural environment [1] although to a lesser extent compared to other sectors such as energy or transport [2]. Its expansion is partly, directly, and indirectly, responsible for climate change and global warming [3] through greenhouse gas emissions, light and noise pollution, and the use of exhaustible resources [4]. The sports sectors that are usually identified as the most polluting are mega sporting events [5] and the activities of the major sports leagues [2,6], which are therefore the ones that receive the most attention.…”

Analysis of Travel Behaviour of Professional Sports Organisation Members to the Stadium: Future Implications for Sustainability

“…The sports industry faces enormous challenges concerning sustainability [1]. Creating new knowledge and effective communication with the stakeholders that make up the sports industry is required [2]. Professional sports organizations (PSOs) are responsible for knowing their sustainability level [3].…”