The role of college athletics in influencing consumers' behavior by developing sustainable practices

Student

Tyler Newsome

College(s)

Mendoza College of Business

Faculty Advisor

Joseph Cherian

Class Year

2018

Tyler Newsome educating local students on the importance of sustainable practices and lifestyles.

The main focus of my report is to identify methods and practices that will help explain why and how further implementation of sustainability through NCAA athletics will create a more sustainable environment for us to live in. NCAA athletics serves as an incredible platform to raise awareness about sustainability because it is a billion-dollar industry that has an opportunity to tap directly into the viewership of the consumer (Coram, 2013). Furthermore, some athletes have direct influence over what children see and do, and they also serve as a platform for raising sustainable awareness.

The term sustainability is often thrown around with various meanings.”It is often defined as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations meeting their own needs. This is a broad, multidisciplinary concept that relates to nearly every field, as sustainability can be related to all aspects of life” However, diving into the impact that individual NCAA teams have on sustainability is extremely impactful. Realizing that using NCAA athletics to help preserve our earth is not only easy, but can be readily implemented and broadcasted to a wide variety of audiences that the NCAA impacts is a key focus for this capstone.

Sustainability and athletics is growing at an increasing rate, yet similarly to the common consumer, not all schools have fully bought in to implementing sustainable practices. The primary focus of my research is to show how NCAA athletics, and individual athletes can serve as a platform for integrating sustainable awareness for consumers who are the fans. My research also focuses on what Notre Dame can do along with analyzing how individual athletes can impact the youth and the community they are in. Additionally, my project looks into game day activities to see if we are marketing sustainably. Finding instances of green marketing and utilizing them for opportunities for growth is something that will benefit Notre Dame’s sustainability efforts.