Can sport drive sustainability? The opportunities and contradictions of modern sport
- Apr 18
- 2 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
This chapter examines the complex relationship between sport, sustainability, and marketing, with a particular focus on how sports events both contribute to environmental problems and can act as drivers of sustainable behavior change. Fans, supporters and athletes are central to bringing about change to protect the sport for their community and future generations. Sport is a global industry with major economic, social, and cultural influence, yet its environmental impacts, from travel emissions to infrastructure and sponsorship practices are often overlooked. This chapter critically assesses both the opportunities and contradictions of sport sustainability. The authors review evidence from a wide range of studies and sport contexts (including football, golf, winter sports, Formula One, and mega-events) to discuss environmental impacts, fan engagement strategies, sponsorship practices, and sustainability initiatives.
The chapter shows that climate change is already disrupting sport through heatwaves, flooding, rising sea levels, and changing weather conditions, while sport itself contributes substantially to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly through travel and infrastructure. At the same time, sport organizations can positively influence fans’ environmental awareness and behaviors through sustainability campaigns, although the authors also highlight major challenges linked to greenwashing, fossil-fuel sponsorships, and the continued growth-oriented model of global sport.
The chapter concludes that sport can be a powerful force for sustainability, but meaningful progress requires more than awareness campaigns alone. Long-term success depends on combining behaviour change initiatives with wider organisational, structural and policy changes, transparent reporting, responsible sponsorship and credible commitments to reducing environmental impacts across the sports sector.
CITE: Koenig-Lewis, N., Collins, A. & McCullough, B. (2025) Game-On! – Sport (events) as a driving force for sustainability, pp: 331-346, in Peattie, K., DeAngelis, R., Koenig-Lewis, N., & Strong, C. (2025) (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Marketing and Sustainability, Abingdon. Routledge.
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