ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on sport, the environment, and physical cultural studies (PCS) with these examples for a few reasons. It reviews critical sociological work – most of which is published in sociology of sport journals – scholars working in sport, sociology and the environment area also commonly draws from fields such as cultural studies, geography, political science, and urban studies. Other scholars concerned with sport-related environmental issues have linked their research with concepts like modernization and globalization, and in this sense have connected sport's environmental implications to wider social processes. Closely associated with modernization and globalization is neoliberalism – a concept that, ideologically, positions market-based mechanisms at the centre of attempts to address social and environmental problems and that, politically, privileges policies that indeed aim to optimize conditions for market-based exchange. The golf industry's approach to environmentalism is underpinned by the concept of sustainability, with pro-environment activities and social contributions balanced with the pursuit of economic growth.
