Sustainability Through Sports: Stakeholder Mapping to Develop & Build Partnerships to Foster Fan Behavior Change
Sports have an immense platform, as they reach a large volume and wide range of people. Therefore, many sports organizations and facilities, both professional and collegiate have implemented sustainability initiatives to reduce their environmental impact and raise awareness amongst fans. Although many of these initiatives have been successful in increasing certain sustainability metrics such as recycling and waste diversion, it is difficult to ascertain how effective they are in changing fan behavior outside of the sporting event. Thus, the goal of this project, which will be completed in coordination with the Green Sports Alliance, is to develop initiatives that will engage fans and encourage them to practice sustainable behavior at home, work and play. My project team will be focused upon “stakeholder mapping.” In other words, we will determine stakeholders, identify their goals and values and use that information to build partnerships and enhance fan engagement tools. The ultimate product will be a “playbook” for sports organizations to build out sustainability initiatives that deliver concrete benefits to their communities.