The year is 2018. Friends, family, and even enemies gather around a small screen in the basement of a Croatian cabin to watch the World Cup Final. Unfortunately, France strikes first and the Croatian sprit sinks. The sinking spirit is a common feeling tonight, as Croatia loses in a historic 4-2 defeat to France. This World Cup was one of the best competitions the world has witnessed as 3.5 billion people watched it—shattering records. However, this begs the question: What is the environmental cost of having such a brilliant sport competition?
The environmental effects of building stadiums are slowing down, as many teams are opting for environmentally friendly stadiums. But that does not change the waste occurring inside the stadiums. Let’s take Wembley Stadium—an iconic stadium for English Football. Its capacity is about 90,000. The average waste that is littered there is around 90,000 as well, but only 45,000 can be recycled. That is just one stadium. There are over 4,500 soccer stadiums all around the world, contributing a similar amount of waste through littering. Another example of stadiums producing large amounts of CO2 was the Wigan vs Manchester United game. The stadium’s carbon footprint was equivalent to around 60 tons.Additionally, the games hosted in these stadiums attract thousands of fans all across the world. The traveling damage on the environment is quite high. Just from the 2018 World Cup, there were about 2.1 million tons of CO2 produced. Going back to the Wigan vs Manchester United game, the travel footprint was around 5,000 tons. The numbers for this game are closer in value to most games, as it is not super “hyped up” like the World Cup.
Luckily, it is not all awful for soccer fans. Many teams are changing their ways of transportation to games via large electric buses in order to cut down on CO2 emissions. Additionally, teams are building stadiums and regulating plastic use in order to have a smaller footprint. For example, Tottenham Hotspurs—more commonly known as Spurs—eliminated the use of any plastic items such as straws, bags, stirrers, and cutlery in their stadium on opening day. This set an example for many other teams around Europe, and has slowly made a change in how soccer stadiums use plastic.
Soccer is a brilliant sport that can attract more than half the world’s population. But is it worth the immense environmental effects on the planet? Was this eye-opening? How should the carbon emissions of traveling to stadiums be reduced? If you were president of a soccer team, would you do what Spurs did and risk losing money to save the environment?
23 comments:
Obviously sports teams are not going anywhere as they are a source of pride for many countries and are an extremely lucrative business. I had never realized the amount of waste that came with soccer games and the amount of carbon that must be used to make them possible. I personally believe that all nations should create systems of mag-lev environmentally-friendly trains to promote a less wasteful form of transportation long distance. This would greatly reduce the amount of carbon emitted from car and plane travel. I think that making more environmentally friendly choices will not only be beneficial for the environment but for business. People are becoming more aware of the effects their choices make and will only support businesses that align with their views. We are running out of time to fix our environment before the damage is permanent, and any possible changes should be made to reduce our carbon footprints.
This was definitely eye opening. I never really thought sports could have such an impact on the environment, but now that I think more about it, how could they not. Big sporting events such as the World Cup increase the ecological footprint of fans that attend. Obviously the impacts that being sporting events have are terrible for the environment, but sports and sporting events are extremely important to our world. Not only are they a pastime to millions of people, but sports are also how many people make a living, so we need to find a solution that would benefit both sides. I believe one way to reduce the environmental impact of mass transportation to a stadium when a game is going on is by making the city station lots of bikes around it so people can bike to the stadium or destination. The city can also enforce laws that limit the amount of cars being driven during game days.
The results sports events can have the environment is definitely a pressing issue. However, I think that only developed nations can focus on the environmental affects it has. Less developed countries either don't have the resources, money, or time to allocate in order to solve these problems. Therefore, I believe that it is critical for the more developed nations to contribute to reducing the carbon dioxide emissions and pollution caused by sports events. I think that more environment-friendly transportation could make a significant difference. With the abundance of electric vehicles and public transportation, less carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere. Furthermore, countries could limit or use more sustainable resources for the production of jerseys and other sports merchandise. I believe that these steps along with the implementation of several other ideas would heavily contribute to more sustainable and environment-friendly sports.
I was aware of the environmental impact that the travel associated with sports had. However, I wasn't aware that the equipment used by sports teams and the utensils that fans used contributed to environmental degradation. I think that in order to target this issue, all sporting events across the nation should utilize environmentally friendly modes of transportation. In addition, I think that the initiative towards making sporting events closer to zero waste events would be beneficial. Of course, it would be extremely difficult to make sporting events completely zero waste, but implementing strategies to get them to that point would make a difference. I think that by making this issue a priority, we can effectively work towards decreasing the harm that sporting events could have on the environment.
I had no idea sports equipment and fan equipment had such a large impact on the environment. This was extremely eye opening. The amount of carbon that is used to make these games possible is astonishing. In order to fix this problem, sporting events should start using recyclable equipment and more environmentally friendly transportation, such as electric vehicles or public transportation. However, it would be impossible to make the carbon footprint sporting events leave invisible, but putting certain rules into effect can cut down on the amount of waste we produce, and can make sure our environment stays healthy and happy.
I knew that the effects of building the stadium and maintaining the grass for sports was not the best, but I never thought about the equipment. The bit about the jerseys being mass-produced and often torn or given away to fans really stuck with me. See, sports probably won’t be going anywhere because they bring people together and establish pride in countries (especially during the Olympics). However, with the coronavirus, it’s clear that we can alter our behaviors in the face of threatening times, so I have hope that we can move to be more zero-waste. Reusing jerseys and stadiums are a good start.
Though I don’t watch sports often, I have recently become more aware of the environmental impact that the industry creates. Even the volume of carbon emissions from fans travelling to the events is eye-opening. One small solution is for local fans and tourists to take public transportation to the games. When I go on vacation with my family, we often try to attend a major league baseball game in whatever city we’re visiting. Though some cities that we’ve visited don’t have a public transportation system, most have either a metro/city bus line or the stadiums can easily accessed by walking. In terms of individual teams, I think what the Spurs are doing is important. Devoted sports fans are more likely to care about an issue if their team values it as well. Therefore, the risk of losing money in order to decrease the team’s carbon footprint is well worth it.
Major sports events are, of course, large contributors to the world’s overall carbon footprint, but I feel as though they are not exactly to blame for it. The problems explained in this article are ones that exist outside of sporting communities and point to the need of widespread action to decrease the carbon in our atmosphere. We must find ways to produce clothing with less emissions. We must find ways to produce things like shoes and soccer balls with more environmentally friendly materials. We must focus on buildings from apartments to stadiums that are environmentally friendly, and we must look to electric vehicles for the future of travel while continuing to innovate until boats and planes can cut their emissions down to almost nothing. All of these are massive tasks, but they are absolutely essential to the future of our planet. Though stadiums are a part of our carbon footprint, we should place more blame on the smaller contributors that allow stadiums to produce such large CO2 emissions.
Although I am not a huge sports fan, I have learned about their impact on the environment during my time in APES. It can be said of all major entertainment events that littering and CO2 emissions from travel will harm the environment. I think that any stadium event, whether it be a concert or a soccer game, needs to track the ecological footprint of their event to ensure that they are not leaving the venue worse than they found it.
While the small decrease of CO2 emissions can be easily achieved with the help of stadiums cutting down the their use of plastic, I feel this would be hard to encourage many others to do the same. Like stated, cuts their income and most people would rather take the cash rather than protect the environment, and due to the popularity and size of this sport, it may even harder to spread the word on a global scale. It is also hard to accomplish this in other countries where they may be underdeveloped and do not have the money or technologies to be able to efficiently design and encourage this type of environmental saving. However, I feel like if they were to film ads with the athletes encouraging their fans to do so, it may slightly increase the number of people attempting to help protect the environment.
I am a major sports fan, but I never knew the impact sports have on our environment. It would be hard to stop the playing of soccer all around the world, as it brings communities together. I think researching more about the causes and effects that soccer has on the environment can help us understand what precautions we can take to lessen emissions. I believe strengthening public transportation will help in the reduction of carbon emissions. What the Spurs are doing is extremely interesting. I think it is a great start to what needs to happen to help save the environment. With their actions people may start to understand what is happening to our world and realize the actions they should begin to take. During games, we can also help reduce waste. Stands with food or merchandise can lessen the amount of plastic used and start using renewable items or have a system for proper disposal. Implementing these ideas soon will do wonders to our environment and let us keep sports!
Since sports are such a large aspect of our culture, this isn't something that we can simply remove and move on from. However, we can implement regulations and other options to reduce the environmental consequences, similar to how the Spurs have eliminated the use of plastic items. Personally, this blog was eye-opening to me because when you think about it there are so many little things (like the production of soccer balls, jerseys, etc.) that add up to make a big environmental impact. Carbon emissions of traveling to stadiums can be reduced by providing other modes of transportation that are more environmentally friendly, such as the large electric buses mentioned in this blog. We could also spread awareness about these issues to let the public know how much small decisions (for example, avoid littering) can help the cause.
I’m not surprised with the impact that stadiums and the general impact of professional soccer is harming the environment (because come on, basically everything we do is harmful to the environment), but I didn’t realize the several factors that played into that idea: the jerseys, equipment, and cleats. This kind of has me wondering about the several other sports that are similar to soccer, such as rugby and football, and how much their equipment and cleats are also impacting the environment. I kniw that sports are essential to our entertainment, but we have to realize that not only soccer, but other sports have the same negative impact to the environment as soccer. Since all sports are on hold, maybe they could try to correct their ways such as reusing their equipment and jerseys.
One potential solution to the problem of the equipment (soccer balls, jerseys, other gear) being non sustainable and harmful to the environment would be to encourage the development of sustainable equipment and eco-friendly products. While these products may be more expensive, I will believe that CEOs will take the step to upgrade if enough people show that they truly care about the harm they are causing. I like the example of the spurs as it shows that teams are capable of putting the environment and ethical concerns over their bottom line and I hope other teams follow their example in order to make sports a more sustainable form of entertainment.
This post reminded me of an earlier post about the waste generated by sports stadiums themselves. Although I was made aware of stadiums negative environmental impacts, I never really considered the players themselves. That being said, I don't think sports teams could be completely erased as they are a source of pride and joy to people across the globe. Sports are an important part of global culture despite the negative effects it may have. I am glad that teams are taking an initiative to be more environmentally conscious as they switch to electric vehicles. Even though they are starting to do their part, I think they could do more with their fame and recognition for the environment. For example, players themselves can promote environmental sustainability as it would cater to the audience of sports fans who see some of these players as gods. I'm not sure how feasible the halting of soccer ball and jersey production would be as it brings in a large revenue for companies selling the items. However, maybe these companies could take some of that income and donate it towards green charities and causes, further advertising environmental conscious. This would show a large number of people that being green is the true goal. Although extremely large sports events don't happen too often, I definitely think that changes should be made in the future to help the environment.
Sports are ingrained into our daily lives. Thousands of people watch sports everyday. It’s amazing how sports are more than just entertainment; they affect the environment as well. The production of sports equipment affecting the environment was completely new to me. Perhaps instead of using non-recyclable material to make soccer gear and soccer balls, maybe people can use recyclable materials. However, the recyclable materials may affect the rubbery feel of the soccer ball.
I never realized the environmental aspects of sports and how much we harm it for our own success and pleasure. I think trying to find a replacement for the plastic in the sports equipment (soccer balls, jerseys, etc.) may be difficult because it could change the nature of the game itself. If the ball is made out of something other than rubber it could mean training the players to adapt to the new techniques needed to kick this newly created equipment. Similarly, with the jerseys, it may be more uncomfortable to play in which could throw the players off for a while. However, the solution of changing transportation, utensils that are used by the fans, and any other workaround that doesn't directly affect any aspect of the game is more probable. With such a wide range of sports around the world, it becomes increasingly important to find a balance to preserve the environment while enjoying the sport.
I’ll be the first to admit it - I’m not a fan of soccer. I’ve tried to be for years because my brother plays, but I don’t see the appeal. Despite this, I recognize that millions of people, including my own family, rely on soccer as a constant source of enetertainment. While I do recognize that the soccer ball as we know it today has been tweaked to provide an optimal playing experience, the harmful effects of them seem to me to outweigh the benefits they provide. I think that creating more environmentally conscious balls, maybe from recycled materials, would greatly help reduce the adverse impacts soccer has. I also think that having players have a new Jersey each game is unnecessary. I understand that having some backups is wise, but if each player reduced their reliance on them, factories wouldn’t need to produce nearly as many.
As a sports enthusiast, I do not want the games that we love to watch and play go away anytime soon, but I also understand the consequences these events have on the environment. I definitely prioritize the Earth so we need to be able to take care of this extreme issue. I am glad that I read this blog post because it was definitely eye opening. Maybe to diminish the effects of transportation, stadiums could provide incentives for carpooling. To help the environment further, sports associations could advocate for the use of environmentally sound equipment. Also teams could start fundraisers and donate the money to environmental associations to further protect our Earth.
The environmental impacts of these huge sport events are definitely big, however, these events are not going to go away anytime soon. Sports have become a part of culture in some people’s lives and I feel like there are other things in the world that affect the environment more than sporting events. With that being said, I still think we should work to make sure sporting events don’t damage the environment more.
Because soccer is such a huge part of the culture in many countries, the sport itself will not go away. However, we can still make efforts to try and reduce the impact we have through it. The move away from plastics in stadiums is a big step, and it should be taken by every organization, as well as attempting to make the stadium itself run on renewable energy. Although doing this may take a lot of time, since soccer, as well as other sports, is a large part of international culture, doing this may even influence other parts of society to push for sustainability as well.
Sports are a much large part of today's society than we expect. Apart from being a multi-billion dollar industry, sports tend to create an international culture, that has political, social, and economical benefits. However, unfortunately the sports industry often does not realize its large impact on the environment. Moving away from plastics is a big and necessary step to helping solve this litter problem. However, it can only work if these changes are truly widespread. Large events such as the Olympics magnify this adverse effect on the environment. Furthermore, creating public transportation to stadiums and other venues can help reduce carbon emissions and increase convenience. Public transportation can also increase ticket fare revenue and be an overall good solution. Nevertheless, the impact of sports on the environment is a problem that can and must be solved before its too late.
I believe soccer will be worth the environmental effects on the planet if people make more efforts to reduce these effects. This article was definitely eye-opening because most people including myself don't really consider how extensive environmental effects can be in our everyday lives. The carbon emissions of traveling to stadiums should be reduced by having discounts on tickets if the purchaser travels to stadium on electric buses. This not only appeals to many people but also reduces the amount of carbon-emitting vehicles that travel to the stadiums. If I was president of a soccer team, I would do what the Spurs did despite the risk of losing money because honestly, the environment will always be worth more than entertainment because the environment is our home that would last for the rest of our lives and for those of our future generations.
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