Balls to the Wall

Global warming hits sports world, sports world hits back

Forget the safety of coastal dwellers -- let's focus on the truly important question. What is global warming going to do to sports? As Sports Illustrated reports in a cover story on climate change, fans are already being forced to adapt. The too-sweaty Miami Dolphins have built a climate-controlled practice bubble, and Texas high schools are playing football at night to avoid searing heat. Skiing, dogsled racing, marathon skating, and ice fishing have all been disrupted by warm weather. But there is good news: some stadiums are looking into energy- and water-saving practices, while car-racing circuits are filling up with alternative fuels and phasing out lead. Despite a recent study dinging ski resorts for harming wildlife, some are trying to go green: Vail is building a big-bucks eco-village, and Aspen has banished Kleenex to protest boreal-forest destruction by manufacturer Kimberly-Clark. "We advocate the farmer's blow -- using your thumb," says Aspen's Auden Schendler. Ah, as do we.