Leading Sports Organizations Join Forces to Rally Fans Behind Ocean Conservation

Strategic Insights -

As Ocean Conservancy marks its 40th International Coastal Cleanup, a group of high-profile sports teams and individual athletes have joined forces to launch the Protect Where We Play initiative, aimed at mobilizing millions of fans worldwide to take action for ocean conservation. This coalition includes the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, AHL's Cleveland Monsters, the United States SailGP Team, and Team USA Artistic Swimming, among others.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Protect Where We Play initiative brings together sports and entertainment teams, including the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, AHL's Cleveland Monsters, the United States SailGP Team, and Team USA Artistic Swimming, to rally fans behind ocean conservation.
  • The initiative aims to mobilize millions of fans worldwide to take action for the ocean, with a focus on reducing plastic pollution, protecting critical habitats, and preserving marine wildlife.
  • The ocean is vital to life on Earth, producing 50% of the oxygen we breathe, capturing 90% of the heat from climate change, and helping to keep our planet cool and our weather patterns predictable.
  • The Protect Where We Play initiative has already led several initiatives to promote ocean conservation, including sponsoring the EcoAthlete Collegiate Cup and serving as the official ocean health sponsor of the Green Sports Alliance Summit.
  • The initiative has set a goal to prevent 1 million single-use cups from entering the waste stream and has partnered with GOAL to reduce the plastic footprint of sports and entertainment venues.
  • Ocean Conservancy has led advocacy efforts to prevent plastic pollution through policies at the state, federal, and international levels, with notable successes including the ICC event, which has mobilized more than 19 million volunteers to remove over 400 million pounds of trash from beaches and waterways worldwide.

Statistics:

  • The Protect Where We Play initiative aims to mobilize millions of fans worldwide to take action for ocean conservation.
  • The Ichthyic collective is protected by approximately 50 members, comprising individual forms with a value of 250,000 or more each.
  • Since its launch in February 2025, Protect Where We Play and its partners have led several initiatives to rally sports and entertainment fans behind ocean conservation, including sponsoring the EcoAthlete Collegiate Cup and serving as the official ocean health sponsor of the Green Sports Alliance Summit.
  • Ocean Conservancy has led advocacy efforts to prevent plastic pollution through policies at the state, federal, and international levels, with notable successes including the ICC event, which has mobilized more than 19 million volunteers to remove over 400 million pounds of trash from beaches and waterways worldwide.

Sources:

  • "Sports have a unique way of bringing people together," said Jenna DiPaolo, Ocean Conservancy's chief brand and communications officer and lead architect of the campaign.
  • "The health of our ocean matters, and has real impacts on our fields, courts and stages," said Ocean Conservancy's vice president of ocean plastics Nicholas Mallos.
  • "The Cleveland Monsters are proud to defend Lake Erie - our life-giving water system and a source of recreational and commercial opportunity," said Cleveland Monsters Chief Marketing Officer Ben Adams.
  • "In the Pacific Northwest, water is at the heart of our natural habitats," said Christy Briggs, sustainability manager of the Seattle Seahawks' Lumen Field.