Lions, tigers, wolves, leopards, and bears are some the world's favourite sport symbols, but while they thrive on jerseys, many of these species are at risk of extinction in the wild.
A new international study, co-authored by Flinders University researchers, reveals that nearly 25% of professional sports teams worldwide use a wild animal in its name, logo, or fan identity, presenting a powerful and largely untapped opportunity to support biodiversity conservation.
The research, published in BioScience , examined 727 teams across 50 countries and 10 major sports, identifying at least 161 different wild animals featured in professional sport branding.
Mammals and birds lead the pack, but the diversity spans across many animal classes: every week, crabs, crocodiles, kangaroos, and eels face off against stoats, pelicans, and squid on football, rugby, and volleyball fields. An interactive global map of these teams is available at The Wild League Map .
"Sport organisations mobilise huge global audiences, and wildlife is at the heart of many of their identities," says lead author Dr Ugo Arbieu from Paris-Saclay University, France.
"This emotional connection between fans and the animals that represent their teams could be harnessed to support conservation at scale."
Biodiversity expert and co-author, Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology Corey Bradshaw says this global phenomenon offers a unique chance to harness the passion of sport fans.
"Sport is a cultural powerhouse, and in Australia, it's part of our national identity," says Professor Bradshaw from the College of Science and Engineering.
"With so many teams using native wildlife like kangaroos and koalas, we have a great opportunity to turn sporting pride into conservation action."
The study found that more than half of teams feature animals that are threatened with extinction, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
"Lions and tigers embody values like strength and courage, but in the wild many of these species are declining," notes co-author Dr Franck Courchamp.
"Teams have a unique opportunity — and perhaps a responsibility — to help protect the biodiversity behind these emblems."
The researchers found wildlife branding across all sports (mens and womens teams alike) and patterns varied geographically: teams in Africa and Asia more often used local wildlife like Asian or African elephants, while organisations in Europe and the Americas were more likely to adopt species from abroad, such as lions or tigers.
"These cultural differences show how societies relate to wildlife," explains Professor Melanie Sartore-Baldwin from East Carolina University (USA), another author of the study.
"Some species are used because they are national or regional symbols; others are chosen for the ties to local environments, or the values they help communicate like solidarity and cohesion."
The researchers argue that sport organisations could actively support conservation through awareness campaigns, partnerships with NGOs, and funding for habitat protection.
"These symbols can be powerful, because they can speak to a broad audience that can be hard to reach through traditional channels used to promote environmental messages" says co-author Dr Diogo Veríssimo from Oxford University (UK).
"If even a fraction of sport organisations used their platform to support wildlife, the impact for conservation could be truly transformative."
"Flagship species can open the door to protecting broad groups of species and entire ecosystems," continues Veríssimo. "Take the San Jose Sharks in the United States for example. The public is probably not aware that there are 70 species of sharks in the USA, 31 of which are threatened species. These sport emblems open the door to also protect habitats like coastal areas, freshwater systems or grasslands, as biodiversity depends on healthy ecosystems and trophic webs."
Professor Bradshaw says this study shows that there is a missed opportunity for sport to champion wildlife and biodiversity.
"Imagine the impact if every team with a kangaroo, koala, or other Australian wildlife emblem supported projects to protect those species and their habitats," he says.
The research team hopes their analysis will encourage deeper collaborations between the conservation and sport sectors, two worlds that rarely interact despite the enormous potential. To that effect, they have created The Wild League ( thewildleague.org ), a global initiative that brings together sport stakeholders for biodiversity conservation.
The research – " Wildlife diversity in global team sport branding " by Ugo Arbieu (Université Paris-Saclay), Céline Bellard (Université Paris-Saclay), Corey Bradshaw (Flinders University), Ricardo Correia (University of Turku), Pierre Courtois (Université de Montpellier), Enrico Di Minin (University of Helsinki), Ivan Jarić (Université Paris-Saclay), Jessica Murfree (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Madeleine Orr (University of Toronto), Samuel Roturier (Université Paris-Saclay), Melanie Sartore-Baldwin (East Carolina University), Diogo Veríssimo, (University of Oxford) and Franck Courchamp (AgroParisTech) – has been published by BioScience. DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biaf181
Acknowledgements: RAC acknowledges personal funding from the Research Council of Finland (grant agreement #348352) and the KONE Foundation (grant agreement #202101976). FC, CB, IJ, PC, BL and SR are funded by their salary as French public servants. EDM acknowledges funding by the European Union (ERC, BIOBANG, 101171602) and the KONE Foundation (grant agreement #202309134).
