This paper is the first formal introduction to sport ecology as a subdiscipline in sport management. Through a review of relevant literature, the authors reaffirm the notion that the relationship between sport and the natural environment is bidirectional, and trace the research that's been published to date along both sides of the bidirectional relationship (i.e. the environmental impact of sport, and the environment's impact on sport.) Then, the authors present arguments for why sport ecology should become a subdiscipline of sport management: namely, that there is a critical mass of research in this area, that the urgency of addressing environmental issues is evident and growing, and the natural environment is so intertwined with sport that a subdiscipline in sport ecology research could enhance and drive forward research in other subdisciplines, including sport marketing, sport psychology, sport law, facility and event management, finance and economics, among others.
Cite: McCullough, B.P., Orr, M., & Kellison, T. (2020). Sport ecology: Conceptualizing an emerging subdiscipline within sport management. Journal of Sport Management. Ahead of print.
