Who champions environmental sustainability? A stakeholder’s analysis of public assembly venues

Purpose Despite an abundance of literature regarding the motivations of sport and entertainment managers to adopt environmentally sustainable practices (ESPs) within their venue, there is little offered on which particular stakeholders motivate such action. This study examined the venues which host such events to identify the stakeholders who influence the adoption of ESPs, their specific roles and to highlight salient stakeholders who primarily motivate ESP adoption. Design/methodology/approach Guided by stakeholder theory as a framework for analysis, a qualitative study was employed which consisted of sixteen semi-structured interviews with venue personnel including presidents, general managers, operations directions and recycling coordinators. Participants were asked to discuss their venue’s management structure, stakeholder relations and ESPs. Findings Internal stakeholders – particularly ownership and operations personnel – were salient stakeholders motivating ESP adoption, but the most unique stakeholder identified was that of a motivated “doer” from no particular role who simply possessed the power, legitimacy and urgency to act on ESPs. Thus, there was no single, identifiable stakeholder role to champion ESPs so much as there was a motivated, normatively legitimate stakeholder who wanted to be that champion. Originality/value This research contributes to the growing sport ecology literature and is the first to present the idea of a non-particular, doer stakeholder to champion ESPs within this industry rather than one with a more defined role within organizational structure.