Balancing sport growth and environmental responsibility

This commentary examines the growing tension between commercial growth and environmental sustainability in the sport sector, and proposes a more balanced, ecocentric approach to managing sport’s relationship with the natural environment. The authors explore how competing “institutional logics”, particularly environmental and commercial priorities, shape sustainability efforts and often create contradictions within the sport industry.

Many sport organizations currently promote sustainability while still operating according to growth-oriented commercial logics that often conflict with meaningful environmental action. The authors highlight tensions surrounding sponsorships, air travel, mega-event expansion, and greenwashing, while also identifying promising examples of more ecocentric and circular approaches such as stadium reuse, recycled materials, renewable energy systems, and water recycling initiatives. They conclude that achieving meaningful progress requires balancing environmental realities with the operational and economic constraints faced by sport organizations.

The authors suggest that sport organizations should move beyond symbolic sustainability initiatives and adopt more evidence-based, ecocentric strategies that integrate environmental responsibility into governance, operations, and long-term planning. They also argue that researchers and practitioners must collaborate more closely to develop practical sustainability solutions that are environmentally meaningful while remaining realistic within the commercial realities of modern sport.

CITE: McCullough, B. P., & Bramley, O. (2025). Exploring balanced approaches in sport: Navigating environmental and commercial logic. Sport in society, 28(10), 1434-1450. DOI: 10.1080/17430437.2025.2510948