The Carbon Footprint of Collegiate Basketball Tournament “March Madness”
- Erica Lin
- Jul 7
- 1 min read
Updated: Jul 22
This study quantifies the carbon footprint of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (March Madness) and proposes a practical model for measuring environmental impacts in sport tourism.
Mega sport tourism events like March Madness contribute significantly to global carbon emissions, yet few accessible tools exist for organizers to assess their environmental impact. This study adapts a simplified, data-accessible carbon footprinting model that accounts for travel, lodging, food, waste, and stadium operations across a decentralized, multi-city event.
The researchers modeled the emissions of 689,753 fans, players, and staff attending 67 games across the U.S., using publicly available data on attendance, locations, and transport assumptions. The total estimated carbon footprint was about 210 million kilograms of CO₂ equivalent, averaging roughly 500 kg per participant — with travel accounting for nearly 80% of emissions. The model shows that fan and team travel distance and event location are major drivers of emissions.
For sport event managers, the study highlights that accessible carbon modeling can inform more sustainable planning — such as selecting greener host cities, optimizing travel logistics, and integrating environmental impact assessments early in event design. While sports organizations are engaged in environmental sustainability initiatives, there still is a deep environmental “value-action gap” when it comes to operationalization. As sport managers are becoming progressively more environmentally conscious, it is vital that they have tools and methods to take measurable action to enhance sustainability.
CITE: Cooper, J. A., & McCullough, B. P. (2021). Bracketing sustainability: Carbon footprinting March Madness to rethink sustainable tourism approaches and measurements. Journal of Cleaner Production, 318, 128475. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.128475
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