Sport, Performance and Sustainability

This book examines the logic of ‘faster, higher, and stronger’ and the technoscientific revolution that has driven tremendous growth in the sports economy and in sport performance over the last 100 years. It asks whether this logic needs revisiting in the light of the climate crisis and sport’s environmental responsibilities.

Drawing on multi-disciplinary work in sport history, sport pedagogy, sport philosophy, sport science, and environmental history, the book considers not only how sportification may have contributed to the growing environmental impact of sport but also whether it might be used as a tool of positive social change. It reflects on the ways that sport sets performance limits for other ethical reasons, such as doping controls, and asks whether sport could or should set limits for environmental reasons too. Sport, Performance and Sustainability touches on key themes in sport studies, including digitisation, activism, social media, empowerment, youth sport, and physical education.

This is fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in sport, the environment, development, sociology, or culture.

The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Daniel Svensson is Associate Senior Lecturer in Sport Management at the Department of Sport Sciences, Malmö University, Sweden. He has written several book chapters and articles about the relationship between sport, science, technology, and the environment.

Erik Backman is Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer in Pedagogy and Sport Sciences at the Department of Sport Sciences, School of Health and Welfare, Dalarna University, Sweden. His main research interest is in outdoor education, physical education and sport pedagogy.

Susanna Hedenborg is Full Professor in Sport Sciences at Malmö University, Sweden, and President of the Swedish Research Council for Sport Science. Hedenborg has a background in social and economic history and her sport research has focused on gender issues, children and youth sport and equestrian sports.

Sverker Sörlin is Professor of Environmental History in the Division of History of Science, Technology and Environment, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, and a co-founder of the KTH Environmental Humanities Laboratory. His research is on the role of knowledge in environmentally informed modern societies, and in research and innovation policies. Current research interests include the history of environmental climate governance.