Environmental sustainability scholarship and the efforts of the sport sector: A rapid review of literature

Abstract

The sport sector has witnessed a shift where organizations at all levels have begun to place considerable importance on becoming more environmentally conscientious. Simultaneously a growing body of scholarship has addressed sustainability in sport as well. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the state of scholarship on environmental sustainability over an 11-year period (2007–2017) and to determine whether scholarship in this domain is addressing (or not) the efforts of the sport sector using rapid review methodology. To achieve this objective, 96 peer-reviewed journals were identified and reviewed for manuscripts related to the topic, applying specific criteria. A rapid review was carried out, and a total of 84 articles were obtained. Additionally, the content from the Green Sports Alliance, a sport sustainability information and knowledge clearinghouse organization, was categorized into seven groups: performance/evaluation, marketing/communication, fan engagement/behaviors, procurement, facility management, managerial decision-making, and social sustainability. Results indicated that the areas most addressed by scholars were management, fan behavior and facilities management, whereas the least emphasized were performance evaluation and social sustainability. Each area is discussed in detail and suggestions for how to bridge the gap between the sport sector efforts and scholarship to advance environmental sustainability in the sport sector is addressed.

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