A Platform For Change
As well as outlining the sector’s contribution to climate change, the UN report also recognised sports’ potential for being part of the solution.
A Platform For Change
As well as outlining the sector’s contribution to climate change, the UN report also recognised sports’ potential for being part of the solution.
Using its broad social platform, it explains, sports organisations have the power to raise awareness around the reality of global warming.
Using its broad social platform, it explains, sports organisations have the power to raise awareness around the reality of global warming. Prioritising sustainability can persuade not only sports fans, but other industries to reduce their environmental footprint and adopt greener practices.
As individuals, athletes can also use their elevated status and emotional appeal to encourage better habits and healthier lifestyles. Some have already started campaigning.
The UN report cites COP26 summit, where over 50 Olympic athletes came together to call on world leaders to take decisive action.
Earlier this year, American skier Mikaela Shiffrin pushed for the International Ski Federation (FIS) to change their approach to sustainability in a letter entitled “Our sport is endangered.” The letter was signed by numerous winter sports athletes, and concluded that: “This is our most important race, let’s win it together.”
“We have a huge platform to communicate the importance of sustainability and climate change,” agrees BASIS’ Russel Seymour. BASIS are a non-profit organisation committed to embedding sustainable development principles into sport.
“We’ve got an audience which is so emotionally involved, either as a participant or as a fan. Now, you’ve got to be respectful of that. You can’t abuse it, but we can use that opportunity to communicate to people and tell them that something they love is going to be impacted by some quite profound changes that are coming. If we can communicate that intelligently through this medium of sport and attach it to those positive emotions that our supporters have, it’s probably one of the most powerful communication tools there is.”
As in the consumer sector, sports fans are now scrutinising their favourite teams and brands to see if they behave in a way that reflects their own values. Particularly among the younger generation, action against climate change ranks highly in their personal priorities. Last year, Sky Sports reported that sports fans took 1.7 million green actions over the summer of 2022. These included eating less meat, using greener forms of transport, and using refillable water bottles during events. Despite this, research by BBC Sport, carried out between January and March 2023, found that across 81 flights taken by sports teams, the average duration was just 42 minutes. Some lasted a little as 28 minutes.
Millwall FC’s Mark Fairbrother explained that fans tend to hold their club in higher regard if they can see evidence of them also working to lessen their environmental impact. “You see some clubs make a lot of noise about how much they’re doing to help the planet, and then fly 70 miles across the country to attend a game. It’s things like that which annoy fans – they are paying close attention to your words and your behaviour. What you don’t want is to come across as hypocritical, and that’s where all clubs need to consider the reputational damage that you can have, and the importance of mirroring your supporters’ social values.”