COVID-19 Disruption Demonstrates Win-Win Climate Solutions for Major League Sports

Unlike
other greenhouse gas sources associated with professional
sports, team air travel is highly visible, under direct league control,
and extremely difficult to decarbonize with technological advancement
alone. In an analysis of air travel emissions from the four largest
North American sports leagues, I estimate that teams traveled a combined
7.5 million kilometers in 2018, generating nearly 122 000 tonnes
of carbon dioxide emissions. But the 2020 season saw major declines
in travel as teams and leagues adjusted for the pandemic. Scheduling
changes with cobenefits for player health and performance were central
to this strategy including increased sorting of schedules by region
and more consecutive repeated games (“baseball-style”
series). If the scheduling changes implemented in 2020 were maintained
in future years, air travel emissions reductions of 22% each year
could be expected. Additional reductions in air travel emissions could
also be achieved by using more fuel-efficient aircraft and shortened
regular seasons.