Impact of Global Warming on Sports: Literature Review Report

This report presents a peer literature review on the impacts of global warming on sporting activities. The report discusses how fluctuations in temperature, caused by global warming, are affecting sporting events. It examines the effects of extreme weather conditions, such as heatwaves and poor air quality, on both outdoor and indoor sports. The review highlights the cancellation of events, the impact on athlete performance, and the need for stakeholders to address greenhouse gas emissions. It uses examples like the Australian Open tennis tournament, hockey in Canada, and the Tokyo Olympic marathon to illustrate the effects. The report also explores the scientific assertions linking human activities to increased global warming and suggests the need for mitigation measures to protect the future of sports. The report uses a minimum of three peer-reviewed papers. This is a student's assignment from Western Sydney University, Unit Code 301004, submitted on April 3, 2020.

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GLOBAL WARMING AND SPORTS
GLOBAL WARMING AND SPORTS
ABSTRACT
Sporting events have been a source of livelihood to many talented individuals all over the world
as it is one of the most lucrative professions with better remunerations. On the other hand, it is
the most entertaining event for fans and spectators with football alone havening millions of fans
all over the world. But it is so saddening that the flows of these events are slowly but gradually
are being affected by the fluctuation in temperatures caused by global warming. This report
presents peer literature on the impacts of global warming on sporting activities.

GLOBAL WARMING AND SPORTS
INTRODUCTION
Sporting activities is one of the most lucrative employment sectors as it hosts hundreds of
thousands of talented individuals who directly earn their livelihood from sporting competitions.
Sporting is not the only source of income to individual participants but also a source of revenue
to states ad governments all over the world. However, sports are affected differently with the
fluctuations in the weather and climate conditions (Zarin & Martin, 2020). Extremely cold
weather conditions favour the effects of weather on sporting activities in varied ways as some
events hence are disadvantaged by summer weather conditions. Some sporting activities spur
well in summer seasons; hence during winters, such activities are disadvantages. Sports can
broadly be categorized as either outdoor sports or indoor sports.
Despite weather conditions being of the essence in sporting activities, the trend and climate
conditions are no longer predictable due to increased gradual heating of the atmosphere, earth’s
surface and oceans, often caused by increased emission of chlorofluorocarbons, effects of
greenhouse gases and human activities such as industrial burning of fossil fuels to producing
methane gas, carbon dioxide and other toxic gases into the atmosphere. Increased human
activities lead to depletion of the atmospheric blanket layer that protects the earth from direct
sunlight hence causing global warming, therefore causes unpredicted weather patterns thus
disrupting sporting schedules (Brandford & Stephanie, 2017).
This publication presents a detailed and critical peer review on the effects of global warming on
different sporting activities and some recommendations on how to regulate the effects of global
warming and its effects on human practices such as sporting.

GLOBAL WARMING AND SPORTS
LITERATURE REVIEW
Climate Change Threatens Future of Sports
The effects of fluctuating climate conditions were experienced during the Australian Open tennis
tournament that was held in Melbourne city. It is recorded in the book of history as a tournament
filled with lots of unexpected surprises. Iconic tennis players who none had though would lose
matches, surprised many when nearly all of these renown players lost their matches unexpectedly
(Zarin & Martin, 2020). Naomi Osaka, long time defending champion was easily swept in defeat
by Gauff knocking out. To many, it appeared to be surprised, but when considered later, it was
established that the cause of Osaka’s defeat was as a result of poor air quality that emanated from
the southeastern Australia wildfires, blankets of red sandstorms and even intense rainstorms that
affected her preparation practices and even during gaming time. Dave Zirin reported that the
unpredicted weather changes have more negative impacts on sports than ever witnessed before
(Zarin & Martin, 2020).. He categorically noted that the sporting activities mostly the outdoor
games would not proceed as had been scheduled before due to the inconveniences caused by
effects of global warming on climate conditions.
Zarin mentioned that the effects of global warming on sports was fast sprouting but to his
disappointment was that there had not been any action taken by the federation authorities
towards campaigns to reduce the greenhouse gas emission that's causing global warming. In
another case, example mention was the Grand Slam events in Canada where hockey players and
fans were forced to cut short the fan of enjoying hockey sporting due to rinks on the Canadian
playgrounds were not solid ice. That is to say, that the rinks in Canada are slowly melting.

GLOBAL WARMING AND SPORTS
Increased atmospheric temperatures cause the melting of rinks in Canada, and the increased
temperature is directly linked to global warming.
Another highlighted effect of global warming is on cardiovascular sporting activities, and sports
that involve intense muscles and cardiovascular contraction and relaxation such as athletics,
marathons and cycling have been greatly affected by adverse temperatures (Zarin & Martin,
2020).. The effect is vast almost affecting all outdoor games, for instance, the skiing that is
favoured by stored snow on a snow day, these games are no more guaranteed due to extreme
climate that constantly melts the snows. By his illustrations, Dave concludes that in either front
be it indoor or outdoor sports, climate change caused by global warming negatively impact the
gaming activities all the world (Zarin & Martin, 2020).. He emphasizes that all stakeholders need
to join efforts to curb and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Effects of Global Warming
Alina Bradford, (2017), in his publication on the effects of global warming on sports, stated that
the effects are far-reaching and has gone to an extreme level causing devastating effects for the
planet earth. In the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirmed scientists
assertion that links industrialization, globalization and other human activities as the reasons for
the intense global warming the earth is currently facing and even projected the effect to escalate
if no mitigation measures are not implemented. Increasing temperatures affect the performance
of the player, thus undermining their capability to perform the sports involved. A case example
was observed when Federer Rodgers lost his fist the US opens games (Brandford & Stephanie,
2017). The temperatures were extremely high that affected his respiratory systems as he kept on
sweating and discomfort. The agitation and constant sweating distracted him from the game,
causing him to concede, this was one of the case effects of extreme temperatures above normal

GLOBAL WARMING AND SPORTS
conditions to players participating in indoor games such as tennis and badminton. Rodger was
not the only victim of the escalated temperatures; John Isner also suffered the same fate and lost
quarter-final matches.
Extreme climate conditions such as heatwaves have affected the global athletic and Olympic
games. The effects have been recorded in different parts of the globe. In an efforts to cope with
the challenging hot temperatures, various sports federations have compromised the rules of the
game to give the player some time off the pitch to have a rest before proceeding with the game
(Brandford & Stephanie, 2017). This was observed in major football leagues, for example in the
Spain national football league, and players were given a 10-minute break apart from the normal
half time break in football such that players might refresh from high temperatures experienced in
the 2017/2018 season (Brandford & Stephanie, 2017).
Climate change is already transforming international sports
In a combination of relative humidity and air temperature by nations weather service heat index
of the United States showed that due to the effects of global warming, the outside is higher than
the internal temperatures. Advice from national weather service advice players to consider
practising or working out under shady locations when heat index exceeds 900F, such restrictions
are for the health advantages but affect the gaming activities (Elpharad, 2017). The monster is
slowly crippling the world of sports; global warming as it has been established that high
temperatures and sporting activities are a dangerous mix. Report by the Center for Disease
Control showed that there had been an increase in heat-related diseases that could cause death or
permanent disability among athletes has been recorded (Elpharad, 2017). Athletes are at higher
risk of developing heart diseases such as heat stroke or heat exhaustion since during humid and
hot weather, these illnesses prevent the flow of sweat out of the skin and can translate to fatality.

GLOBAL WARMING AND SPORTS
Extreme humidity and temperatures are negatively impacting sporting events all over the world,
at every level, not high school sports, football, indoors games and athletics are not spared by
global warming. Tokyo Olympic organizers have been forced by the circumstances of high
temperatures to reschedule the 2020 Tokyo Olympic marathon to begin at 6 o'clock and not as
was scheduled before. The reschedule was to avoid mid-day heat and to ensure that spectators
and fans are not exposed to high heat and humidity. In 2018, the US opened for the first time
allowed heat rule to men players, 10 minute breaks between sets, but still, five players withdrew
from the games citing extreme temperatures (Elpharad, 2017).
Most sporting events have been cancelled as a result of unfavourable weather conditions posed
by global warming. In July 2018, the Haskell Invitational horse race for Monmouth Park Race
track in New Jersey was delayed for a couple of hours, making most races to be cancelled to
protect participants and horses from extreme temperatures. The decision caused had financial
implications on the park management as it the only gunner $8.6 million instead of the total
expected $20 million (Elpharad, 2017).
CONCLUSION
Sporting events are slowly and gradually being crippled by the extreme temperature rise caused
by global warming. The scientist has proved that the increased cases of global warming are
majorly caused by increased human activities such as globalization and industrialization that
leads to emission of CFCs, greenhouse gases and other toxic gases into the atmosphere. These
gases then lead to the depletion of the ozone layer, allowing direct sunrays to the surface earth,
causing an abnormal rise in temperatures.

GLOBAL WARMING AND SPORTS
The effects of escalated temperature have been witnessed all over the world with the most iconic
players like Osaka and Rodger losing matches due to extreme temperature during games.
Another effect is the cancellation of major sporting events such as the 2018 annual horse race at
Monmouth Park in New Jersey that had an adverse financial implication on the park
management. Therefore it is concluded that global warming, if not reduced, will eventually
cripple sporting events.

GLOBAL WARMING AND SPORTS
REFERENCE
Brandford, A., & Stephanie, P. (2017). Effects of global warming. LiveScience, Vol' 2, 10.
Retrieved April 8 2020, from https://www.livescience.com/37057-global-warming-
effects.html.
Elpharad, L. (2017). Climate change is already transforming international sports. Geophysical
Research Paper, Vol 4. Retrieved April 8 2020, from https://qz.com/1736285/climate-
change-is-already-transforming-international-sports/.
Zarin, D., & Martin, M. (2020). Climate Change Threatens Future Of Sports. NRP Daily
Newsletter, 5. Retrieved April 8 2020, from
https://www.npr.org/2020/01/26/799741441/climate-change-threatens-future-of-sports.