Changing Sporting Landscape: are Adventure Athletes the Next Form of Environmental Advocates?

Outdoor sports are increasingly impacted by climate change and a new category of athletes is emerging: athlete activists/ advocates This research provides examples of adventure athletes and their ongoing advocacy initiatives, building upon established literature regarding winter sports and athlete advocacy to acknowledge the changing sports landscape for athletes and their respective brand sponsors. Qualitative interviews were conducted with six athletes across multiple sports to understand their experiences as sponsored athletes and their willingness to communicate about climate-related topics on their personal social media accounts. Results identified numerous barriers that athletes experienced related to: 1) their establishment within their industry; 2) their level of education of climate events; 3) their capacity for generating social media content on top of their training schedules; and 4) recognizing an overall disconnection to the natural world. This research provides insights into benefits of outdoor recreation, whilst highlighting the social norms, values, motivations, and communication techniques for generating pro-environmental behaviour. Finally, this research points to opportunities for athletes, brands, and industry collaboration to amplify climate change messaging and cultivate pro-environmental behaviour among audiences.