Sport Management and the Environment: New Challenges for Research and Practice Sylvia Trendafilova

1. Sport Managementand the Environment:New Challenges forResearch and PracticeSylvia Trendafilova

2. Two Vital Trends in the Sport Industry

3. increasingenvironmentalfocus Trend 1

4. Trend 2 increasing participation in outdoor recreational sports Increased U.S. Participation in Outdoor Recreational Sports (in thousands)

5. Two Types of Environmental Initiatives To reduce the ecological footprint of sports Sports as means to raise environmental awareness

6. Why Sport & Environment The environment affects sport • Air/water/noise pollution • Indoor air quality • Climate change - extreme weather patterns may make it difficult to engage in sport • Habitat/biodiversity loss - loss of natural areas affects sport

7. Why Sport & Environment Sport affects the environment • Development of fragile ecosystems for sport activities • Noise and light pollution from sport • Consumption of natural resources • Emission of greenhouse gasses by consuming electricity and fuel • Soil and water pollution from pesticide use • Waste from construction, spectators, and/or participants • Overuse • Overwhelm local ecosystem and/or local processing systems • Soil compaction • Erosion • Loss of biodiversity • Decrease in vegetation density

8. The Illustrative Case of Disc Golf • PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association) • WFDF (World Flying Disc Federation) • The World Games (under the patronage of the IOC) • One of the fastest growing outdoor sport activities

9. Disc Golf around the World

10. Disc Golf in the USA

11. Disc Golf

12. Environmental Management Research (using disc golf) Study 1 Assessing the ecological impact due to the sport Study 2 Identifying the problem behaviors associated with the degradation Study 3 Exploring the subculture of disc golfers Study 4 Design, implementation, and evaluation of an intervention program

13. Disc Golf Courses Pease Park Zilker Park Mary Moore Searight Park

14. Study 1 - Method • Vegetation density – plot method • Soil compaction – soil compaction tester • Soil erosion – erosion pins

15. Study 1 – Results forsoil compaction and erosion Significant difference in soil compaction between areas around baskets and away from baskets t(10) = 2.31, p = 0.04 t(10) = 3.15, p = 0.01 t(10) = 3.91, p = 0.003 Significant differencein soil erosionbetween areas around baskets and away from baskets t(14) = 4.32, p = 0.001 t(8) = 4.03, p = 0.004 t(8) = 2.89, p = 0.02 Close to baskets Away from baskets Close to baskets Away from baskets

16. Study 1 – Results for vegetation density Pease Park

17. Study 1 – Results for vegetation density Zilker Park

18. Study 1 – Results for vegetation density Mary Moore Searight Park

19. Study 1 - Conclusions Disc golf is associated with: • decrease in vegetation cover • increase in soil compaction • soil erosion

20. Study 2 - Method • Field observations • Weekly visits to the parks - 4 months • Frequency of behavior occurrence - observed during 2 hour sessions

21. Study 2 - Results • Problem behaviors that might be modified • Dragging bags on the ground • Using trees as targets for practice • Problem behaviors that are intrinsic to the game • Trampling • Hitting trees during the course of the game

22. Study 2 - Conclusions • There are player behaviors that exacerbate the environmental degradation associated with disc golf • Some of those behaviors are modifiable, and would not affect the essence of the sport • Others if modified would change the essence of the game and will be used as comparative behaviors during the intervention

23. Study 3 - Method Ethnographic method • Informal interviews and casual conversations • Field observations

24. Study 3 - Results • Lack of knowledge and awareness about the negative effect disc golf has on the environment • Sense of ownership of the park • Family and fun oriented atmosphere • Subcultural values

25. Study 3 - Conclusions • Disc golf is a social subworld • Friendship and social interactions are very important • The subculture provides a lever through which to address environmental problems

26. Study 4 - Method • Brochure distributed to all three parks • Multiple base-line design

28. Study 4 - Results

29. Study 4 - Conclusions • Desired behaviors did not require much effort to perform and were rather simple • Increased knowledge and awareness eliminated the barrier for achieving desired outcome • High value placed on disc golf and willingness to preserve the sport • Intervention targeted at the antecedent conditions of behavior

30. Implications forFuture Research • Theoretical issues • Collective action • Subcultures as levers • Other practical foci • The design of strategic pre- and post-evaluation management plans • Sport as means to increase environmental awareness

31. Implications forFuture Research – cont. • Other sport contexts • Events • Facilities • Other sports

32. Implications forTeaching • Enhance existing curricula • Event and facility management • Impact assessment (pre- and post-) • Adoption of green technologies • (Social) Marketing • Influencing the behaviors of sport participants and fans • Using sport as a venue/vehicle to drive home environmental messages • Sport policy • Specific course(s) on sport and the environment

33. Sport Managementand the Environment:New Challenges forResearch and PracticeSylvia Trendafilova