Oxford University

1. “What a 2nd half!”
Sport – a (unique) motivator
for
planet saving?
Ian Curtis & Barney Jenkins
Environmental Change Institute,
Oxford University

2. Eco-Problem 1: “the PERFECT STORM”
Govt Chief Scientist warns of very great danger for
global food, water, and energy supplies

3. Eco-Problem 2: the fans aren’t happy…

4. BORED!

5. “We’re losing!”
EVEN WORSE
Over 75% of our respondents said
“We’re LOSING” when asked about the
state of the climate change match
"We've lost" 3%
"Losing and deep into injury time" 26%
"Losing but with time left to recover" 51%
"Looking good for a point" 11%
"Narrowly ahead and holding on" 3%
"Well ahead and good for a comfortable win" 2%

6. …when what we need is “an explosion of creativity”
….in front of goal. A lot more people trying a lot more
ideas …. and shooting at the goal.
AN EXPLOSION OF
CREATIVITY

7. Financial Times, Nov 2010
“The greens … need to
improve their marketing”

8. MARKETING GREEN ain’t easy
“I don’t know the answer” says MOST
TRUSTED green guru
What three things would you suggest need to happen to
galvanise the public to take responsibility for the future of
our planet?
“What really makes things happen, of course, are disasters.
And who would want that? But even disasters don't seem
to shake us. There have been plenty of disasters recently,
and then you forget about them. You forget about New
Orleans… [But in terms of initiatives] I don't know the
answer…
Sir David Attenborough, 31 Oct 2010

9. This
communicating
superstar tried
in Burn Up….

10. “Who wants to be told what to do by
a bearded git in sandals?
“There is nothing like enough politically and socially committed fiction on …
….but this dim, deaf drama was an object lesson in how not to make it;
and the real inconvenient truth for the green movement is, as the old
Jewish retail expression has it, in winning the argument they’ve lost the
sale. They suffer the fatal flaw of being too smug to bear. There is a
global resistance, not to the facts, but to
environmentalists. It appears most of us
would rather fry, drown or starve than be
told what to do by a bearded git in sandals,
and that’s a rather comforting and cussedly
human truth.”
AA Gill, The Times, July ’08,
commenting on Burn Up

11. 2-step marketing
1. (great) ideas
2. (really fantastic) distribution channels
PS: …and it’s driven by emotion

12. Why Sport could be the vehicle
THE CASE: The world’s environmental challenge
is now a race against time. Sport’s USP is how
to win races against time. How to perform
under pressure. Yet in the world’s
environmental response, the inspirational
characteristics of sport – from backstreets to
global television - are a glaring omission.

13. 2 roles for Sport?
1) “Greening the Stadia” 2) Inspiring players and fans to
help lead the green evolution

14. Sport has the DISTRIBUITON CHANNELS already
1) Facebook users: Man Utd > 10m; Liverpool > 6m
2) ..thousands (millions) of clubs & events top to bottom
Wow
…really?

15. Sport has the X factor too….
• The Queen knows it (Xmas message 2010) : “….it is
as important as ever to build communities and
create harmony, and one of the most powerful ways
of doing this is through sport …. This sort of positive
team spirit can benefit communities, companies
and enterprises of all kinds.”
• Sponsors know it: The Economist quotes “the
emotional connection with people is what is
valuable” (for the sponsors)

16. ARNIE KNOWS IT TOO!
Schwarzenegger challenged nations “to RACE
one another to help stop greenhouse gases”.

17. WHY? PASSION!
“Successful movements aren't built on guilt,
they are built on passion” says the former
Governor of California

18. Wembley,
May 2010
Oxford Utd v
York City
Oxford won. Over 33,000 JUBILANT fans. Could
our local green efforts hang off (LEARN FROM!)
these ecstatic coat-tails?

19. Two U’s Unite: Oxford Utd and
Oxford University
Why did we do it? We’re stuck! Evidence: 200+
events in Oxfordshire in 5 years

20. Ox Utd Chairman said “Yes”. So we just started
chatting to the fans. You learn stuff (Mkt Res)
Would any of these statements increase the
likelihood of you participating in Fone Twigs
or other local tree-planting and
environmental initiatives?
Much less
likely
Less likely No
influence
More
likely
Much more
likely
i) This year is United Nations International
Year of the Forests
0% 7% 71% 22% 0%
i) A personal request from an Oxford Utd
player
0% 3% 39% 53% 5%
i) A personal request from our (local) Prime
Minister David Cameron
15% 23% 39% 18% 5%
i) A competition between Oxford Utd fans
and others in the county/other clubs
0% 3% 25% 46% 25%
i) Oxfordshire is “bottom of the league” for
tree cover in South East England
2% 5% 24% 57% 12%
i) If United players/management joined in
the planting
0% 0% 31% 58% 12%
i) If the woodland was named “The Oxford
Utd Woodland” or similar
2% 0% 32% 49% 17%

21. TALK TO THE FANS AS PASSIONATE IDEA-
GENERATORS … NOT DISTANT CONSUMERS

22. (Allowing) the UNIQUE contribution
Two Ox Utd fans create an idea about recycling mobile
phones, tree planting, and a legendary player

23. AND THE
BALL GOT
PASSED
….for
another
unique
contribution
SUMMERTOWN STARS FC
TOURNAMENT GOES GREEN
Over 150 youthclubs from Oxfordshire attend their first green 5-a-side

24. … But REMEMBER THIS IS SPORT
Start where you’re at. Run a penalty shoot-out,
add some eco-SPORTS-questions, and a prize
for the champion ECO-STRIKER

25. Something has to change!
Keep the formation and players as it is, we're doing
fine we're going to win
4%
Lose the attackers and bring on more defenders to
avoid a thrashing
11%
Substitute on to the pitch our creative midfielder for
the defensive midfielder
18%
Rely on a current star player to win us the game 1%
All out attack and play 3 strikers 30%
Bring on some fresh blood, give debuts to 2 new
creative youth players
36%
TALKING OF STRIKERS!
You’re the Manager. You’re losing the climate
match. What do you do? The fans chose ATTACK
X

26. At Wembley, we make arches out of
(recycled?) plastic cups

27. At the Taiwan National Stadium –
stunningly beautiful and big solar energy

28. “You’ll never create greener technology by
hitting a golf ball or kicking a football but you
just might do so through the constant
innovation of Formula One. Competition is
the mother of invention. Our business relies
on the world’s best.” of he F1
Game on!
F1 vs
the rest
of us

29. SOCCKET MARTIN!
(Another UNIQUE
contribution)
…if nothing else , watch
www.soccket.org

30. Sport’s Psyche: a unique contribution?
winning and a focus on results; urgency generated
by the clock running down; team spirit; individuals
contributing within teams; captaincy and
leadership; determination and refusal to give up;
coming back from losing; recognising
opportunities for unique moments of impact and
game-changing; the buzz outside the comfort
zone; performing under pressure; knowing what
winning and losing look and feel like; the authority
of the scoreboard and the rules of the game; fans’
passion through thick and thin.

31. So play the Sport Card
Why is it unique? (rather/as well as the celebrity one)

32. The (Reality of the) Scoreboard
..according to our respondents

34. MY RANT!: People want to WIN!
WIN!
Q.5 Here are a number of words that people
have used to describe their attitude to climate
change.
0
20
40
60
80
100
NegativePositive
HopefulFearful
Enthused
Frustrated
Unm
otivated
M
otivated

35. When have (successful) sports coaches
ever inspired their players by telling them
“I’m going to drive through behavioural
change around here”?
"With 1.3 billion people
watching, the London
2012 Olympic and
Paralympic Games
presents a unique
opportunity to drive
environmental behaviour
change.”
Is this what Arnie
meant by
“PASSION”?

36. “ I have just come from Brazil where the country is in many
ways preoccupied with three major events. The UN Conference
on Sustainable Development 2012 or Rio+20; the FIFA World
Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. Three major events;
three enormous opportunities to catalyze innovation and
sustainable development.”
Sport has the power to enlist global public support—a
point that has not been lost on the Brazilian hosts of Rio+20
who have recognized the virtue in linking this UN conference
with the two major sporting events they are also hosting.”
Achim Steiner,
Director, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) ,
9th World Conference on nd the Environment,
May 2011
Why let Brazil win another World Cup?

37. Oxford2Rio?
Stop this one……

38. PS: The
best
captains
?