1. Introduction

Over the last recent years, environmental issues have been greatly discussed in the media and, with awareness and knowledge about the harmful effects of business on nature, the public can perform safety procedures to safeguard the environment. The concerned conscience of some environment consumers, non-governmental activists, and some companies have apparently found innovative ways to amend and improve the environment (Lyon and Maxwell, 2006; Lyon and Maxwell, 2008; Mori, 2003; Row, 2005). Management’s support for environmental problems and using management strategies can transform the threats caused by environmental problems to competitive opportunities for the organization. Management’s support for producing green products or environmental procedures leads to innovation in technologies that have a positive effect in saving energy and preventing environmental pollution (Trendafilova, Babiak, & Heinze, 2013). Awareness of environmental problems is the first step in solving them. Although sport development is the first goal of all sport organizations belonging to Olympic movements like international federations, national Olympic committees, national federations or even local sport clubs and associations, all these organizations are responsible provide a suitable environment and behaviors accompanied with social commitment for achieving sustainable development (Shabani et al, 2015). Today, all sport matches, places, and centers are under mutual regional and global effect on the environment. Thus, respecting environmental principles in planning and using sport facilities and avoiding creation of various types of pollution that causes destruction and injury to the environment are important points in management of sport facilities (Kellison & Mondello, 2012). The Olympic movement considered the environment as the third side of the Olympism triangle alongside sport and culture, and by creating the “Environment and Sport” commission in the international committee of Olympics, codified the necessary policies for the hosts of the Olympic Games and provided them to the international committee of Olympics (Pfahl, 2011). Recreational activities are consumers of natural resources and naturally produce garbage. These activities impose certain costs on participants, institutes, or responsible organizations and also the environment. Sometimes these costs are direct and traceable and sometimes they are indirect and non-traceable. As a result, their ecological, cultural, and social effects are challenging and while being important, they are indiscernible and harmful (Kellison & Mondello, 2012). The recent business trend confirms that companies are expected to act beyond benefit and set social welfare as a priority. This means that the business department should not only be subject to goods manufacturing, but it is necessary that companies adjust their activities around the axis of society (Ghalavandi et al, 2014). The goals of economic growth and quality are always in contrast. Over the last decades a number of organizations have been pioneering in new strategy for integration of the environment in business strategy and simultaneous improvement of the environment and business performance. Also, environmental concerns in managerial studies have been increasing (Pilania, 2014). In his study, Parvinchi (2014) studied green purchase intention of the consumer and planned behavior, and his results showed that the view toward environmental issues is the most important driving factor in terms of behavior, and the findings of that study showed that mental norms, view at environmental issues affect intention of green purchase and green purchase also has a positive impact on green behavior. In a study entitled “Designing Sport Facilities Based on Environmental Patterns” Jin t al (2015) conducted similar research. Results revealed that for preparation and urbanization, it is better that sport spaces be categorized not only based on the nature of opportunities, but also based on capacity, breadth, spatial attraction, utility, accessibility, distance from home, and all things depending on it. In their study called “Investigating The Effect of Sport Facilities on The Environment and Creating Environmental Pollutions”, Pfahl (2011) confirmed the effect of Sport Facilities on The Environment and Creating Environmental Pollution. Javan and Pamiro (2013) suggested in their studies that the Manchester United club has put all its focus on safety and hygienic programs, equal opportunities, child support, education and health. Study of May et al (2012) shows that environmental knowledge and governmental pressures have significant effects on the intention of green purchase among Malaysian consumers. However, in contrast, there is no significant relationship between environmental label and intention of green purchase. In a study, Spector (2012) investigated the effect of mixed green marketing tools on purchase behavior consumers. Results of this study show that environmental brand and trust in environmental label and brand has positive relationship with purchase behavior of the consumer. In recent years, general attention has been increasing to the environment and national and international athletic and social organizations have made great efforts to protect the environment. Given the importance of subject and many problems created by environmental crisis for our country, unfortunately not much attention has been paid to this topic and specifically regarding sport organizations and the environment, we have not been seeing specific programs in this respect. Thus, given the huge importance of the environment, the author has been determined to consider the responsibility of environmental responsibility of organizations involved in sport according to the employees of Sport Facilities Development and Equipment Corporation.

2. Methodology

The methodology of the study has been descriptive. The statistical population of the study included all employees of Sport Facilities Development and Equipment Corporation. According to available statistics the total number of employees was 150. Given the small size of the society, the sample size was taken equal to that of the society. A non-random targeted sampling was used. Given the available theoretical principles, an author-made questionnaire was prepared in three frameworks of environmental credibility, environmental expectations and environmental requirements. The validity and reliability of the study was reported to be desirable. To measure validity and reliability, 10 sport management professors were consulted, and to measure structural reliability, confirmatory factor analysis was performed. To measure reliability of the study, Cronbach’s alpha was used whose value for the criteria of environmental credibility was 0.72, for environmental expectations was 0.76, for environmental requirements was 0.81, and for environmental responsibilities was 0.82. Data analysis was done using Amos and SPSS 25. After factor analysis, 8 questions were removed because of factor loading below 0.4. The measurement model and study model were designed based on 18 standard questions. In the conducted tests, P<0.05 was taken as significant.

3. Findings of the Study

Descriptive findings revealed that 64 people i.e. 53.3 percent of the studied sample were women and 56 people i.e. 46.7 percent were men. 11.7 percent of the sample were under the age of 30. 79.2 percent were in the range of 30-40 years old and 9.2 percent were in the 40-50 age range. That is, 25.8 percent of the studied sample were single and 89 people i.e. 74.2 percent were married. 24.2 percent of the sample had diploma and associate’s degrees, 35 percent had bachelor’s degree, 39.2 percent had master’s degree and 1.7 percent had PhD degree. In the next section, inferential findings have been reported. First, analysis of exploratory factor was done for the questionnaire. The KMO value observed for the questionnaire was 0.74 and Bartlett’s test of sphericity was equal to 914.92 and was significant in the 0.001 level, which justifies factor analysis based on correlation matrix.

Results of exploratory factor analysis for the built questionnaire showed that from this questionnaire 3 factors can be extracted, and given the fact that acceptable factor loading was taken weight over 0.40, 7 questions had to be removed from the analysis process. Therefore, in total, 18 questions will remain. The first factor i.e. environmental credibility consists of questions 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 16. The second question i.e. environmental expectations consists of questions 3, 15, 19, 20, 21, and 24. The third factor i.e. environmental requirements consists of questions 11, 12, 13, 14, and 25.

Table 1. Results of exploratory factor analysis for extracting factors

Figure 1. Scree test to determine exploratory factors

Figure 2

Table 3. Standard and non-standard coefficients of questions in first-degree confirmatory analysis

Results of table 3 show that all questions have significant factor loading for all suggested factors.

Figure 3. Study model’s diagram (Second degree factor confirmation)

Table 4. Standard and non-standard coefficients of questions in first-degree confirmatory factor analysis

Results of second-degree factor analysis show that from among the considered factors, two factors have significant effect on environmental responsibilities. The weight of environmental credibility with a coefficient of 0.88 is greater than other factors. After that, there is the factor environmental expectations with an effect coefficient of 0.54, but the factor environmental requirements has no significant effect on environmental responsibilities.

Goodness of fit factors of the suggested model of study in second-degree confirmatory factor analysis, square of the ratio of chi to degree of freedom () was equal to 1.76; the criterion of goodness of fit (GFI) was equal to 0.93; the adjusted goodness of fit index was 92; comparative factor index (CFI) was 92, and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) was 0.08, which shows the suggested recommendation has acceptable goodness of fit.

Results of second-degree confirmatory factor analysis was done for the prepared questionnaire. Given results of factor analysis it can be said that:

1- Environmental expectations have effect on environmental responsibilities of organizations involved in sport.

2- Environmental requirements have no effect on environmental responsibilities of organizations involved in sport.

3- Environmental credibility has effect on environmental responsibilities of organizations involved in sport.

Table 5. Correlation coefficient matrix between variables

Results of table 5 show that there is a correlation coefficient of 0.48 between environmental credibility and environmental responsibilities, there is a correlation coefficient of 0.77 between environmental expectations and environmental responsibilities, and a correlation coefficient of 0.57 between environmental requirements and environmental responsibilities, with these correlations being significant in the level of P<0.001. However, there is no significant relationship between environmental requirements and environmental expectations.

4. Discussion and Conclusions

According to descriptive findings of the study, it was found that most of the subjects in the statistical sample are female. It is concluded in this section that women have obvious presence in company development section and sport places. Paying attention to the role of women in sports organizations is very important. In this case, when it comes to gender equality and both men and women find themselves with opportunity to attend sports companies, they certainly have a higher incentive to work and show their abilities. Further, the findings of the research showed that 11/7 percent of the examined sample is under the 30 age group, 72/9 percent is in the age group of 30-40 years old, and 9/2 present is between 40 to 50 age group. Specifically, the highest number of the sample is in the age group of 30 to 40 years. Other descriptive findings were that 24.2% of the sample had a diploma and an associate’s degree, 35% had a bachelor's degree, 39.2% had a master's degree, and 1.7% has had a Ph.D. degree. Therefore, it can be concluded that Sport Facilities Development and Equipment Corporation pay attention to the importance of graduate education and the effects of having higher education, are having higher knowledge and expertise of the employees, that Sport Facilities Development and Equipment Corporation consider them, in order to improve the performance of the company. In the age group, our findings indicate that the highest number is above 30 age group, and in the education sector, the most popular degree is the master's degree. The coordination of these two categories reflects the expertise and experience in the staff to carry out affairs. Therefore, it can be concluded that most subjects in the sample of research have master degree, appropriate work and age experience. This can lead to better responses of respondents to questions, in terms of their ability to understand questions. The results of the study showed that the expectations and environmental credibility on the environmental responsibilities of the organizations involved in sport are significant, so it can be said that environmental expectations have a positive effect on the environmental responsibilities of organizations involved in sport. That is, if environmental expectations increase, the environmental responsibilities of organizations involved in sport will also increase. Given that exercise and physical activity, as a social symbol, must be developed in accordance with the gradual changes in society, the findings of this research section are consistent with the results of previous studies and confirm them. Joan and Pamyu (2013), in their research, said the Manchester United team has focused on safety and health programs, equal opportunities, child protection, education and health. Spector (2012) concluded that the environmental brand and trust in the label and the environmental brand are positively associated with consumers’ purchasing behavior. According to research findings, although club managers and sport places, despite the difficult task that they face and necessity of possessing different kinds of skills and abilities, they are expected to plan for sports venues creatively, applying maximum use of sports spaces and attracting customers activities, so that they increase the life and hours of the use of sports facilities, and attracting a large population in order to provide health and vitality and joy to the stadiums. In fact, the manager or supervisor of a sports complex is responsible for the planning, implementation, maintenance, and development of assets that are heavily used in society. They regularly deal with organizational leaders, class instructors, sports instructors, parents, and tax payers. Each user group will have different needs and interests. But all of them expect the manager to respond promptly and effectively to their demands. This type of expectation is accompanied by concerns for the environment. Social expectations about the role of responsibility in social businesses are increasing, and since today's society, because of its specific time demands, is consumption-oriented more than ever, organizations must consider responsibility, accountability, and paying attention to the rights of society members in their comprehensive and strategic programs, and while they feed on the infrastructure and social, biological and scientific resources of their surroundings, they should have a special focus on corporate social responsibility and consumer rights in their strategic plans. Sport Facilities Development and Equipment Corporation and other sports companies should pay attention to the expectations of their customers in terms of the environment and its health. The recent business trend confirms the fact that companies are expected to operate beyond profit-making and to prioritize community welfare.

This means that business sector should not only subordinate to the production of goods and profits, but companies need to regulate their activities around the community as well (Ghalavandi et al., 2014). Certainly, sports organizations should pay attention to the welfare of the community, including environmental expectations. Production of sporting goods that can meet the needs of athletes without harm to the environment should be one of the main goals of sports companies. Organizations are facing new dynamics since the relationship between social, political, environmental and economic roles in business has increased. The challenge facing organizations is that they should simultaneously increase profits and respond to new social expectations, and then manage these two seemingly contradictory consequences, which require the development of applied strategies and have positive effects on both society and the organization. Implementing social responsibility at the organization level is one of the effective mechanisms or strategies in this field. In this way, sport goods customers, having environmental expectations, create a sense of social responsibility in the managers of sports companies. By doing so, they are committed to produce tools that meet the environmental expectations. Today, environmental and humanitarian challenges for economic enterprises and sports companies that fulfill global needs supply chain are changing. The environment, which was once considered a trivial matter, is now rapidly becoming a business opportunity and change from reputational management to the mainstream subject of competition. In this regard, considering the environmental risks for proactive management is critical and effective in attracting customer in industrial markets. Also, the old ecological program is integrating with the program for poverty reduction and social equity, in order to create a new environmental program after its development. Hence, sports companies should try to meet environmental expectations and put this important issue in the program, as one of their strategies. One of the effective variables in determining the purchase amount of green products is the level of customer knowledge of the environment. Many customers show their environmental awareness and the promotion of green products with a desire to buy green and pay more for friendly environmental products and services. In addition, existing theories in this regard, also show that consumers who are aware of environmental problems are more likely to buy green (Desosa et al., 2006). Based on these materials, it is suggested that if sports companies try to produce green products, they can meet environmental needs. For the green sport products make the environment clean of contamination. Sport places are places for providing comfort and health of a large number of people in the community. The theme of sport, the environment, has been widely considered, and sport is seen as a tool for achieving the principles of sustainable development. Sport and the environment are closely interrelated, so that environment contamination affects the health and efficiency of individuals during training and endangers the health of athletes. The sports industry, which today is one of the world's leading industries, is another aspect of the relationship between sport and sport products and the environment (Kellison & Mondello, 2012). It is suggested that, based on the fact that one of the successes of sport companies is considering the category of environmental expectations, it is necessary to take measures to satisfy the customers according to the principle that if they pay attention to the expectations, they will be more successful than before and they will have a better position and a better reputation among their competitors. Therefore, considering that environmental and social issues today are of great importance to the sport company's customers, the observance of environmental issues in the marketing activities of sport companies will create a competitive advantage for the company and thereby it can achieve a good place in the market. Since environmental credibility can be gained through the support of sport corporate managers, it is suggested that the company display its environmental concerns in order to create a positive outlook and in the competitive market, has an agreeable suggestion about environment as a competitive advantage. Informing about the environmental performance of sports products can help this matter.

Undoubtedly, the activities of athletes, sports associations, and sporting goods manufacturers, like any other person or group, will affect the environment around them. Although the nature of the activity of each of these groups, when separately analyzed, is not harmful, the range of the effects of their activities can, in general, be important and very broad. Sport requires healthy athletes; only a healthy environment can guarantee the health of the athletes and ensure that we enjoy our favorite matches. Athletes are closer to nature because of the nature of the activities they are doing. Many of sports activities are carried out outdoor. As a result, athletes are more exposed to environmental hazards than others. Sports are the ultimate goal. Millions of people are eagerly pursuing a sport and are biased towards it. The opportunity to promote environmental awareness and encourage people to adopt the principal measures in this regard is almost unlimited. In addition to sport company staffs, players, coaches, supervisors and all the players involved in the sport should try to preserve the environment in order to create a healthy space for the sport. By increasing knowledge, people's ability and independence in relation to responsibility for environmental protection is also increased. The goal of environmental education is to increase awareness, perception and sensitivity of individuals towards processes that occur in the natural environment, in a way that they feel responsible toward the environment. Education helps people to be part of the solution and strategy. People consider themselves required to maintain the environment in the sport sector, if they understand its necessity and have a level of knowledge and well-being that they can implement it, so different communities must have formal and informal education to provide environmental protection in the production sector or in the process of sport. In many countries, environmental concepts are fundamentally included in the curriculum in a fascinating way. In addition to formal method and through government institutions, such as primary education and higher education, education can also take place unofficially. Today, governments and international institutions are doing a lot of work to raise awareness and education about the environment. The use of famous and popular people, such as athletes, is one of the most effective methods for teaching environment protection. Correct education provides the right to choose to the audience. One of the basic assumptions in environmental studies is that many of the environmental problems can be addressed by raising public awareness about the environment. In other words, it is believed that environmental awareness is key to solving many environmental problems. On the other hand, undoubtedly, one of the most important ways of protecting and supporting the environment and preventing its demolition and pollution is the use of educational activities in order to increase the level of knowledge and insight in individuals. Through environmental education, values and explanations of concepts can be identified in order to create the skills and tendencies needed to understand the interdependencies between man, his culture and his environment. Obviously, environmental education is an interdisciplinary and all-encompassing process that makes the learner learn the awareness of the environment; recognition of the environment through knowledge; environmental responsibility; and skills needed to solve the problem. Therefore, environmental education is an active process in the field of awareness, knowledge and skills that leads to understanding, commitment, conscious decisions and constructive functions to ensure a sense of responsibility for environmental issues in all parts of the earth and the environment. The role of environmental awareness in the sport sector is also very important, and its attitudinal and behavioral backgrounds need to be created so that managers of sports companies, buyers and customers, and others who interact with sport understand the importance of the environment and take steps in an environment without contamination. The goal of environmental education is helping raise the level of environmental awareness of citizens, staff, athletes and ... to preserve the environment on a local, regional and global scale. Also it creates and improves the sensitivity of people to events and changes that occur in nature. So in order to encourage the staff of a sports company to pay attention to the environmental features of their sports ideas and products, their managers need to take necessary steps to prepare their recognition of the environment and the environment-friendly products for the health of the community. Also, participation of all people who are active in the field of sports and sports products can be used to move towards a clean and healthy environment. Government structures do not have the necessary efficiency to meet all current and future needs of mankind; hence the necessity of adopting participatory approaches and the use of all people and devolution the government power is an undeniable fact. Social participation means the voluntary, informed and volitional presence of organizations, groups and individuals in various cultural and social dimensions of society that will lead to its comprehensive development. Due to increased complexity of today's life, expectations of people, the inability of managers to meet the needs of people, the inability of the government to finance and oversee the programs, the people's participation in the administration of society is necessary. In addition to accelerating and reducing costs, this partnership plays an important role in legitimizing the programs and makes a sense of belonging and social solidarity. In order to preserve the environment, in addition to the state, all people need to work to change their lifestyle. In addition to governments, to preserve the environment, all people are required to try hard to change and improve their lifestyle. This effort may be an athlete's decision to reduce water loss during a post-exercise shower, or the decision of a sport manager to install pressure cannikins to reduce the use of plastic cup or to tax on drinks that are supplied in non-recyclable glasses at the stadiums. The activities of non-governmental organizations that operate volunteering in the environment and sports sector can improve the environmental aspects. Today, volunteering organizations operate very effectively and efficiently, because of direct communication and without mediators with people. Non-governmental organizations, obtain their credibility of their responsible and effective role in society. These nongovernmental organizations, with flexible and widespread and dispersed structures to the most distant parts of the country, are capable of carrying out many activities that governments and the private sector cannot do. In developed countries, NGOs are active in many fields such as environment, sports, and economics. In these countries, parties that are active in the field of the environment are very powerful and purposeful and demand people's environmental desires from the managers and authorities of the country. In addition to demanding the environmental desires, these organizations are source of community awareness on the friendship aspect with the environment and can be effective. In addition to the above mentioned items, the role of the media, especially sports media, in protecting the environment and its value is of particular importance. The sports media play an important role in protecting the environment. In protecting the environment, they are two-way tools which on the one hand reflect the needs and expectations of the people and, on the other hand, are the means to informing officials. Today's online media can provide a great opportunity for people to develop healthy thoughts and lifestyles because of the flexibility and high speed and the people’s dramatic tendency toward them. Therefore, it is suggested that the media focus on changing some false environmental behavior, redefining the meaning of quality of life, removing the culture of consumerism, and persuading people to exercise and a have vibrant life. Based on the information obtained from this research, it is suggested that the following items be considered by manufacturers of sporting goods. Sporting companies should protect the environment in a useful way, in order to obtain a special place among competitors, in addition to the health aspects of the community and can be economically more successful. Disseminating information about the environment and others' awareness of the factors that harm the environment can get others to revise their inappropriate behaviors about the environment and try to control them. Sports companies should have an initiative in the field of environmental activities and welcome and support the ideas of environmental health and green products. Sport companies can make their environmental activities clear and publish them in a variety of ways for the public. Directors and staff of sports companies are encouraged to increase environmental responsibility by the state. Measures such as tax forgiveness for companies to increase attention and produce and implement ideas that promote environmental health can be done. The company's efforts should not be limited to increasing the sales of financial success. If a company can obtain environmental standards and introduce them as the company's advantage to others, it can earn more profits by selling more. Sacrificing corporate profits for the sake of environmental activities cannot, in any way, make the managers of sports companies to ignore environmental responsibilities. It is also a strong point for differentiating from other companies and benefiting more in the long run.