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The relationship of sport to sustainability management is relatively unknown. Despite the increasing recognition of the growing role of athletics in regard to environmental sustainability, it remains unclear what role athletics departments have with regard to environmental action and what is currently being done now. The purpose of this study is to examine American intercollegiate athletics department personnel in relation to their organization’s sustainability practices, organizational strategies, and personal perspectives at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) universities. Athletics department members (N = 97) who were most responsible for sustainability initiatives responded to a survey designed to assess awareness levels and concern for environmental issues and the strategies and practices at work in their respective athletics departments. Findings based on prioritization, planning, decision-making, and use of initiatives using frequencies and means are reported. Differences, using t tests were also compared based on BCS or non-BCS standing. Results show that although environmental concern is high, there is disconnect between concern and action perhaps due to a lack of communication between the athletics department and the general university, cost concerns, and a lack of knowledge about sustainability initiatives. Implications related to the need for better communication between the athletics department/university and improved planning and prioritization is discussed.

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Marketing Thursday, June 4, 2015 20-minute oral presentation (including questions) Abstract 2015-005 8:30 AM (Joliet) Collegiate athletic programs in the U.S. have incorporated environmental initiatives at their events as a way to account for their environmental footprint (Casper, Pfahl, & McSherry, 2012). While there are many successful cases (Natural Resource Defense Council, 2014), little is known of the impact collegiate sport environmental efforts have on their fan base. To justify actions beyond protecting the environment, collegiate administrators seek to understand fan engagement activities as a way to enhance fan experience and increase sponsor inventory (IEG Sponsors Report, 2013). It has been documented that CSR efforts influence organizational value. Within major non-sport organizations 13 cents out of every dollar of brand value are associated with CSR efforts (Silverman, 2012); sustainability-related CSR has been found to influence brand strength (Gidwani, 2012); and CSR is viewed favorability by a majority of sport fans (Walker & Kent, 2009).

Across the world, organizational personnel in various industries are integrating natural environment issues into existing organizational practices. In the intercollegiate sports world, environmental efforts are undertaken as part of a strategic effort involving collaborative processes across university units. The purpose of this study is to develop a more comprehensive and detailed understanding of collaborative processes and practices between personnel in athletics departments and sustainability offices at universities and colleges in the United States. In-depth interviews were conducted with athletics and sustainability department personnel at colleges and universities in the United States. A total of 13 schools were included in the study with 17 participants agreeing to be interviewed. All interviewees were from