Carbon Emission in Football Games

The environmental impact of carbon dioxide emissions arising from travel has emerged as a significant concern. Notably, the recent frequent realignments within the Power Five conferences have led to substantial fluctuations in the annual carbon footprint of football games played between member teams. In this comprehensive study, we collected and analysed conference data spanning the previous decade, as well as forthcoming schedules (wherever available), to evaluate shifts in this carbon emissions footprint. Our findings underscore the potential environmental ramifications of the impending realignment, commencing in 2024, revealing the possibility of an almost twofold increase in carbon emissions.

References
SSSJ 2024 Full Paper
Jiayi Hong, Sia Sheguri, Ronald Askin, and Ross Maciejewski. Carbon Emission in Football Games: Footprint Impact of Power Five Conference Realignment. Sustainability and Sports Science Journal, 2(2):98–106, March 2024. doi: 10.61486/KDVT9069
INFORMS 2024 Invited Talk
Sia Sheguri, Jiayi Hong, Ross Maciejewski, and Ronald Askin. Carbon footprint impact of NCAA conference realignment. Presented in INFORMS Annual Meeting, Oct 20-23, Seattle, WA, USA, 2024.