Industry-Academic Collaborations to Advance Sustainability

Brian McCullough and Sylvia Trendafilova

The sport and entertainment (S&E) sectors continue their efforts to become more environmentally sustainable (McCullough, Pfahl, & Nguyen, 2016; Ponsford, 2011; Trendafilova & McCullough, 2018). These advancements have made organizations, venues, and events across both sectors more economically profitable, operationally efficient, and even provide opportunities to deepen their connection with customers, patrons, fans, and spectators (Babiak & Trendafilova, 2011; Casper, Pfahl, & McCullough, 2017; McCullough & Cunningham, 2010; Trendafilova, Babiak, & Heinze, 2013). Undoubtedly the S&E sectors fall well short of fulfilling a completely environmentally sustainable ideal. Yet the initial efforts to strive for this ideal goal can be characterized as the waves of the ocean (see McCullough, Pfahl, & Nguyen, 2016).