On the potential impacts of climate change on baseball and cross-country skiing

Abstract

Rationale: The sport sector depends on the natural environment for critical resources such as energy, water, and in some cases, the field of play. As such, climate change will have implications for sport. Yet, the actual and potential deleterious effects of climate change on sport are under-researched; this review addresses that gap.Approach: Using projections of the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report and known vulnerabilities of baseball and cross-country skiing, this review explores potential climate hazards facing both sports by 2065 and 2100.Findings: Potential hazards for baseball include hotter summer temperatures, increased frequency and severity of wildfires and tropical cyclones, increased risk of coastal flooding. Cross-country skiing is likely to experience shorter, warmer winters, flooding, land cover changes due to forest fires, and rock slope failures.Practical implications: Based on the findings, baseball and cross-country skiing managers must begin assessing and responding to the impending hazards and associated risks to their sport.Research contribution: While this review method is exploratory, it introduces to the sport literature an important set of free climate-related resources and their potential utility for climate vulnerability assessments in the sport sector. This paper extends the literature on risk management and climate vulnerability in sport.