We love baseball.
We love soccer.
We love our cities.
We do not love fossil fuel money laundering its reputation through sports sponsorships.
This week, Sisters of Charity — from New York and our Sisters of Charity of Halifax — joined climate advocates outside major stadiums to call on teams to cut ties with banks and oil companies fueling climate destruction.
When institutions financing extreme weather, displacement, and environmental harm plaster their names across stadiums, it’s not team spirit — it’s sportswashing.*
And at a moment when environmental protections are being rolled back and climate science is ignored at the highest levels, this matters even more.
Our Catholic tradition teaches that care for creation is not optional. In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis reminds us that everything is connected — our economy, our climate, our communities, and our moral choices.
So yes — the Sisters of Charity show up.
From New York.
From Halifax.
Because protecting future generations is part of our vow to love God and neighbor.
The games we cherish deserve a livable planet.
Future generations deserve clean air, stable climates, and leadership rooted in truth.
Cut ties with Big Oil.
Invest in life.
*Sportswashing is a strategy used by corporations — and sometimes governments — to improve their public image by associating themselves with beloved sports teams, leagues, or events.
When companies that profit from environmental destruction or human rights abuses sponsor stadiums, jerseys, or major tournaments, the positive emotions fans feel toward their teams can soften or obscure the harm tied to those corporations.
In the climate context, sportswashing happens when banks financing fossil fuel expansion or oil and gas companies driving extreme weather use sports sponsorships to appear community-minded and responsible — while continuing business practices that worsen the climate crisis.
Fans deserve transparency.
Communities deserve integrity.
And our common home deserves better.
