Home Guest Columns If Professional Sports Adopts It, It Can Change the World

If Professional Sports Adopts It, It Can Change the World

1543
0
SHARE

When professional athletes find themselves in the “hot seat” due to some unfortunate incident, commentators never fail to mention that the situation is even more disturbing because it will have a negative impact on children and other sports fans. In fact, today more than ever, professional athletes are powerful celebrities, and what they say and do—good or bad—are widely reported.

Of course, just as negative news about or by a professional sports leader can have widespread ramifications, so can positive actions. Consider, for instance, if American basketball star Kobe Bryant were to speak out about making a personal commitment to green and environmental issues and, further, encouraged the National Basketball Association to consider the environment in all its activities and venues? He has a lot of fans and a lot of fans that will be influenced about his concerns about the environment.

Or how about if Andrew Ference, the Canadian ice hockey star who was instrumental in helping the LA Bruins win their sixth Stanley Cup Championship, created a carbon-neutral program for the NHL? In this case, we need not imagine: Ference’s program, which purchases carbon offset credits to counteract the negative environmental impact of professional sports, now includes over 500 players.

Many Already Committed to Change

What’s more, teams including the Vancouver Canuks, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Denver Broncos, as well as organizations such as the National Hockey League, have all jumped on the green and environmental bandwagon. While we do not know how Kobe Bryant stands on green and environmental issues, we do know that in addition to Ference, the teams and organizations listed above are embracing these issues wholeheartedly, making changes in both their operations and their facilities to reflect this newfound focus.

Many industry experts consider this development one of the most powerful—if not the most powerful—developments in the green and environmental movement in decades. In fact, according to Allen Hershkowitz (senior scientist for the Natural Resources Defense Council), the movement in professional sports to embrace green and environmental issues has “the potential to be the most influential initiative in the history of the environmental movement.”

Why is a change in the professional sporting world so important? Because of the influence professional athletes and sports organizations have on their fans, especially youngsters. These activities will be widely reported in sports media around the globe. What’s more, most Americans are sports fans almost from birth. Sports are no longer considered simply fun and games; they are a stage for patriotism, consumerism, morality lessons, racial relations, and more. By embracing green and environmental issues, professional athletes and sports operations are creating a culture that will be felt far and wide—including in the hotel and hospitality industry.

Sports & Race Relations

Some in the industry may ask whether the culture of professional sports can really have that wide of an impact on larger cultural beliefs and practices. But indeed, were this shift to take hold, it would not be the first time sports have helped encourage cultural changes with profound implications.

Many younger people in the hotel/hospitality industry may not be aware of the fact that for almost a century, African Americans could not play on major league baseball teams. While there was no “official” policy preventing African Americans from playing, there was a so-called “gentleman’s agreement” among team owners dating back to the late 1800s allowing only white men to play. Black baseball players stuck to what were called the “Negro Leagues,” regardless of their talent and ability. The two races never mixed; it was just the way things were, and it was universally accepted as such.

Then, in 1946, African American Jackie Robinson was hired to play for the Brooklyn (New York) Dodgers, becoming the first black baseball player in the major leagues. Realizing that the fan backlash anticipated by sports executives was far less than anticipated, many other major league teams quickly followed suit, hiring black players to appear on their own squads. By the 1960s, the Negro Leagues had faded into history.

This powerful example demonstrates that changes in the attitudes and practices of professional sports teams have the power to change the wider culture. It shows that “if the sports industry wants it and promotes it, the world can change,” adds Hershkowitz. “Sports has led [the way] to change race relations. . . . It will now change the world in the environmental sphere [as well]. There is no turning back.”

How Should the Hospitality Industry React?

If, as Hershkowitz says, there is “no going back” and our culture is changing as a result of green sports, than clearly hotel and hospitality organizations that fail to embrace this change are liable to be left further and further behind. Fortunately, many in the hotel industry have already embraced green and environmental issues and are now leaders in this movement. This will keep them ahead of the curve as green culture evolves and becomes more powerful.

Stephen P. Ashkin is president of The Ashkin Group, a consulting firm specializing in greening the cleaning industry, and CEO of Sustainability Dashboard Tools, which offers a cloud-based dashboard that allows organizations to measure, report and improve their sustainability efforts. He is also coauthor of both The Business of Green Cleaning and Green Cleaning for Dummies.

LEAVE A REPLY