The green actions listed above are a start but I would surmise that the biggest damage from sports is all the transportation. We have gym moms driving across town several times a week to get their kids to practice. Sports fans coming from long distances for big games and then consuming mass quantities of excessively packaged junk food. People traveling long distances to escape urban sprawl for a nice hike, bike ride, or ski trip. International athletes flying many times a year for competitions, training camps, and visits home to family.

There is no easy answer to this problem without severely restricting a valuable form of entertainment, youth development and active public health. Greater awareness of the problem will encourage people to choose fewer (and/or shorter) trips without giving up sports entirely. Mandatory carbon offset surcharges have their place as well.

Ultimately we must conserve as much as possible in all areas of life to compensate for those things we are still unwilling to give up. If you can't bear to miss your kid's championship game 300km away then you'd better make a little more effort to carpool, switch to a smaller vehicle (and rent a van for the team trips), make your kid bike or bus to practice (if old enough), green your workplace, write those letters to policy makers, install that home installation, etc.

??????????? Bicycle for Everyone's Earth

Fitting that Grist finds scientific support for its crackpot theories...among sports stars.   Fits right in with their "Council of Geniuses" composed of Leonardo di Caprio and Bono.

I'd say, why not drum up some support for your "research" from...oh, circus performers next?

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