Mass-participant sport events and sustainable development: gender, social bonding, and connectedness to nature as predic
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Mass‑participant sport events and sustainable development: gender, social bonding, and connectedness to nature as predictors of socially and environmentally responsible behavior intentions Stavros Triantafyllidis1 · Lindsey Darvin2 Received: 21 January 2020 / Accepted: 22 September 2020 © Springer Japan KK, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract The integration of sport and sustainable development can positively enhance social and environmental outcomes to encourage a sustainable future. Only a limited amount of knowledge exists regarding the sustainable behavior perceptions of sport participants. Specifically, this study examined gender differences for active sport event participants’ socially (SRBI) and environmentally responsible behavioral intentions (ERBI), social bonding, and connectedness to nature. This inquiry also explored the relationship between SRBI and ERBI in a mass-participant sport event (MPSE) context. The data collected through web surveys from registered runners of an MPSE in the Southeastern United States. The results revealed that women have significantly higher perceptions of connectedness to nature, SRBI, and ERBI than men. Also, findings suggested that the MPSE context could play a crucial role as a platform for sustainable development interventions. Finally, this research supported that social bonding and connectedness to nature perceptions play an essential role in cultivating SRBI and ERBI for both men and women. Keywords Sustainable behaviors · Sport participation · Gender · Social bonding · Connectedness to nature
Introduction Over the past decade, mass-participation sport events (MSPE) are considered to be the most popular active sport participation events and have experienced increased popularity over the previous decade (Buning and Walker 2016; Triantafyllidis and Davakos 2019). Annually, millions of people across the globe participate in MPSE. Typically, there are several options for the MSPE participants, such as running races of 5 k, 10 k, relay races, half marathons, and marathons (Buning and Walker 2016; Filo et al. 2011; Funk et al. 2009; Triantafyllidis and Kaplanidou 2019). In 2019, Handled by Zhu Liu, Tsinghua University Department of Earth System Science, China. * Stavros Triantafyllidis [email protected] Lindsey Darvin [email protected] 1
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, USA
State University of New York College, Cortland, USA
2
MPSEs that incorporate running and racing (i.e., traditional MPSE) remained the most dominant market in the event industry, with 9.78 million finishers and approximately $900 million in revenue (Triantafyllidis and Davakos 2019; Triantafyllidis and Kaplanidou 2019). Based on the previous literature, sport as an institution may be a mechanism to encourage positive values and services, as it operates as a milestone for worldwide promotions of development and peace (Schulenkorf 2010). Sport is a mechanism that contributes to community development and social responsibility.
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