Deliberate, incidental, incapable, or unwilling: Sport clubs framing of climate issues

Sports clubs are under increasing pressure to take responsibility for more than offering sports activities. Reducing climate gas emissions can be such an area of responsibility, and in this study we ask how sport clubs address climate issues at the local level. The theoretical premise is that the meaning of climate change for a sport club does not arise automatically but requires interpretation: what we call framing. The study is based on 18 qualitative interviews with voluntary board leaders or board members, employed leaders or other key volunteers/employees in sport clubs within football, skiing, and motorcycle sports. We find four ideal types of sport clubs’ climate frames: deliberate climate action, incidental climate action, climate action incapability, and climate action unwillingness. Our contribution to the research field is first and foremost an empirically and theoretically informed understanding of how climate framing takes place in sport clubs.