On the Ball: Rugby!

It's bad for the planet, we're afraid

Posted by Sarah K. Burkhalter at 5:17 PM on 12 Feb 2007

Read more about: sports | United Kingdom | ecological footprint

I wish that I had something nice to report on rugby, because the one game I've watched was fascinating. But alas, Brits with too much time on their hands have crunched numbers for the 2006 Six Nations match between Wales and Scotland, and found it alarmingly eco-unfriendly. And they didn't even account for the face paint.

The disheartening news, straight from the mouth of researcher Andrea Collins of Cardiff University's Center for Sustainability:

The energy and resources used by 85,499 rugby supporters that weekend [Feb. 12, 2006] resulted in an ecological footprint equivalent to the area of 3,578 rugby pitches.

(Handy rugby pitch size chart here.)

~~Hooligans~~ Fans traveled a combined 15 million miles to arrive at the match, the vast majority commuting by car. Only 1 percent of the nearly 74 tons of waste produced over the weekend was recycled. But my favorite stats concern consumption in its purest form:

Researchers found that 47,000 burgers, pies, pasties [of the English variety, of course] were eaten over the match weekend by fans, and no vegetarian meals or fruit was consumed.

An average supporter drank six pints of lager, five measures of spirits and another four units of other alcohol on the day of the match.

And those above-average supporters ... ? Never mind. I don't even want to know.

For story: On the Ball: Rugby!
2 Comments | Post a Comment

pasties?

That menu is quite vile.

Rugby could begin to reform itself, not only by doing the three Rs on its carnivory, but also by encouraging more teams to do calendars, along the lines of the famous offering of the French national team. Many eager minds would be opened.

Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

by caniscandida at 1:25 AM on 14 Feb 2007

But Rugby keeps fat children moving...

Obese people put more weight in their cars.. which makes the cars work harder to go.. increasing fuel consumption.

Rugby is a highly physical sport that encourages community, heavy drinking, and running and fighting. Community is always good. Heavy drinking..well.. it burns calories, what with drunken walking and shouting. And of course, running and fighting burns the most calories around.

So. I think it'll all balance out in the end, if we make cars super-efficient, and make public transportation much much better.

Cheers!

www.scrambledtoast.blogspot.com

My blog about Christian Environmental Ethics - www.jesusandtheorangutan.wordpress.com

by ccdangelo at 10:18 PM on 21 Feb 2007

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