Waste and Basketball a.k.a. How Two of the Biggest Parts of My Life Clash

    As many of you might know, I am a professional basketball player. Basketball has been a part of my life basically since the day I was born because my mom was a pro player as well. I am 23 and have played basketball for 17 years.
    On the other hand, we have the environment and nature. Nature I have always loved and enjoyed, but I didn't find out about the climate crisis until I was a junior in high school, which was about 6 years ago.
    After that, it took me another 3 years to realize how wasteful my lifestyle was because of my beloved basketball.
    I thought it would be interesting to look into it more. So here are the reasons why being a basketball player can be bad for the environment.
    Since I have experienced the US college basketball player life as well as the pro player life in Europe, I will compare the two.

1. Traveling

    USA:

        In the States, we used to fly everywhere that was more than a 5-hour bus trip away. This can be drastically different in different schools. Some may never fly, but others fly to literally everywhere.
        For me, the flying didn't stop there! Since I am not from the States, I had to take at least 3 flights, one of them being a transatlantic flight, to go home and come back every summer.
        Knowing what I know now about flying, the impact on the environment, and taking into account how many games we played, I can say that my carbon footprint must be enormous.

    Europe:

        Now I can only talk about my experience in the team I was playing in, so this can also vary dramatically between different players.
        Where I played, we only ever took bus trips to all of our games. If the team played any other leagues, they would fly to the games and have games more often. For my team, though, we mostly played once a week.
        So right away, we can see the difference between America and Europe - fewer games + bus trips in Europe = smaller carbon footprint.
        However, in Europe, I got to go home 3 times, which means 4 flights each time. Again, it doesn't look good for my carbon footprint!

2. Takeout food and drinks

    USA:

        So, in general, the takeout culture is much more prominent in the States than it is in Europe. I think the life in Europe is slower, which is why people prefer sitting down at the restaurant and enjoy the experience, rather than just eating the food.
        Leaving that aside, when we played away, our team created so much waste by eating tons of takeout food, and there was a snack room providing us with all the goods, including bottled water and Gatorade.
        I am guilty of sometimes, when I had water in my reusable water bottle, still grabbing a bottled one, because it was more convenient. And on the bus, we don't recycle. Guess why... Because it's not convenient. Very often, that is said to be the main reason for not doing something.

    Europe:

        Comparing these habits between the two places I've played, you'll see that they are entirely different.
        Where I played last season after our games, we never got takeout. We always went to a restaurant or back to our hotel to eat, and then got on the road.
        Furthermore, a thing like a snack room, or provided snacks, is not a thing. And I am not saying this is better, but it does mean that I have to or get to bring my own snacks for the trip. So last season, I often took nuts, fruits, etc. with me, which come in no packaging.
        Something to point out is that in Europe, during games and practices, they provide us with bottled water, which I am not too happy about. In the US, though, during the practices and games, they have a canister of water that they use to fill our bottles with.

3. Gear

    So when it comes to equipment, there is no comparison between the amounts of stuff we got in college versus the things we got at my club.
    I am still wearing the things I wore for practice in highschool 5 years ago, but now I have 4 years worth of stuff from the states as well.
    Let us ignore the free gear we get and talk about basketball shoes. There are no ethical options for basketball equipment, and most players go through 2 pairs of basketball shoes a year. That is so wasteful, but you have to listen to your body, and if the shoes are done, you need new ones.
    Basically, we go through a ton of gear, but the amount given to us is still excessive and come from sweatshops!

4. Part of the entertainment industry

    So college and pro sports are part of the industry. That means big events, merch to buy that comes from sweatshops, free stuff given out that end up in the trash the same night, etc.
    This is something that is out of my control. But it is crucial to think about the bigger picture at times as well. For example, I personally can be zero waste, but if I use and support brands that are not, there is still room for improvement.
    When I was younger and saw teams winning championships, then splashing champagne everywhere, while confetti was flying, I thought about the poor cleaners, that have to take care of this once the party is done. Well, now I still think about the cleaners, but I also think, do we really need to waste champagne and why do flying pieces of plastic make us feel accomplished.
    Another side of this are the spectators and the culture that comes with going to watch sports. Most of the time, it means beer in plastic cups, hot dogs, fries, etc. SOOOO MUCH TRASH, I am going to get a headache just imagining it all. And don't get me wrong, I love going to a baseball game or a hockey game and getting the full experience, but now that I know what I know, I need to find a way to change it.

Okay, so this was a lot different from what I usually write, but I think it was important for me to think about my lifestyle and how I can perhaps be better. If you're reading this, I hope you enjoyed the whole rant I did about my two passions clashing!

Stay safe and have a wonderful day!