February 11, 2026
LOS ANGELES-Feb. 4, 2026: Climate activists in 10 cities will protest sportswashing on Tue., Feb. 17 at 8:30 a.m. PST/10:30 a.m. CT/11:30 a.m. ET at stadiums in cities from Los Angeles to Boston whose professional teams are sponsored by fossil fuel interests.
Dodger Stadium will be ground zero for the national protest (details below), an expansion of Dodger Fans Against Fossil Fuels, a Sierra Club Angeles Chapter campaign endorsed by California state Sen. Lena Gonzalez and eminent environmentalists urging Dodger owners to drop their sponsorship deal with oil giant Phillips 66.
Phillips 66 had been scheduled for trial on Feb. 17 on a Clean Water Act federal criminal indictment fordumping wastewater into the L.A. County sewer system at its Carson refinery. The trial has been postponed until 2029, but protests will proceed at Chavez Ravine and nine other baseball, football, soccer and basketball fields in Sacramento, San Francisco, Portland, St. Louis, Atlanta, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Boston and New York City (details below).
Dodger Stadium is plastered with giant logos for the 76 gas chain owned by Phillips 66. Oil companies have long used partnerships with trusted, beloved institutions like World Series-winning teams to insidiously influence the way fans perceive them.
"We love these teams, particularly our two-time World Series winners," said national protest lead Zan Dubin. "But, as carbon emissions reach historic highs and fans and athletes swelter in record heat, we condemn the sportswashing that seeks to make us root for Big Oil the way we root for Shohei. Dodger and other team owners must end their complicity in this deceitful practice. We are urging them to show true leadership and stop advertising for fossil fuels now."
Protests are planned at the 10 stadiums below. Their listed sponsors include oil conglomerates, big banks that finance major oil and gas projects, and fossil fuel-heavy utilities. For local media contacts/interviews/photos, contact Zan Dubin (310) 383-0956/zan@zdscommunications.com
- Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium, Dodgers (Phillips 66/76 gas)
- San Francisco, Oracle Park, Giants (Phillips 66/76 gas)
- Sacramento, Golden 1 Center, Sacramento Kings (AM/PM, owned by BP)
- Portland, Providence Park, Portland Timbers (Bank of America)
- St. Louis, Busch Stadium, St. Louis Cardinals (Phillips 66)
- Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, FIFA World Cup (Aramco)
- Cleveland, Progressive Field, Cleveland Guardians (Marathon)
- Philadelphia, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia Eagles (NRG)
- New York City, Citi Field, Mets (Citi bank)
- Boston, TD Garden, Boston Celtics (Gulf)
WHAT: Protest against the Dodger's Phillips 66 sponsorship.
WHEN: Tue., Feb. 17, 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. PST.
WHERE: Public sidewalk near Dodger Stadium entrance on SE corner of Stadium Way and Vin Scully Avenue.
VISUALS: Protestors will include Lamentors, street-theater demonstrators dressed in sackcloth, headscarves and ashes to express climate grief.
MEDIA CONTACT: Zan Dubin (310) 383-0956; zan@zdscommunications.com
Expert Quotes:
Juanita Chavez, director, Sierra Club Angeles Chapter: "The Dodgers rejected stadium cigarette ads decades ago for good reason. Bans on tobacco advertising lead to fewer people smoking. The team showed a similar responsiveness to fans last year, albeit too little and too late, by turning away federal immigration agents and pledging funds to help immigrant families. We’re asking Dodger owners to show the same concern for their fans' health and our planet by refusing to allow Big Oil to advertise in their stadium."
Naomi Oreskes, Harvard University historian: "Corporations that practice sportswashing buy goodwill by doing things that are genuinely good, like financially backing beloved teams, in order to distract us from the things they're doing that are genuinely bad. They are advertising products that are killing people, damaging property, and making it hard to do things we care about, like play baseball or go skiing, as weather worsened by climate change melts snow or raises temperatures unbearably."
Bill McKibben, author, environmentalist; co-founder Third Act/350.org: "The greatest threat to sports in the years ahead is the rapid rise in temperature, which increasingly makes it too hot and stormy to play. So, you might say it's an error for those who enjoy--and profit from--sports to be collaborating with the industry doing the most to overheat the planet."
Sam Mattis, American Olympic discus thrower (Tokyo 2021, Paris 2024) training for the 2028 games: "In the last five years, I've had to cancel training because of flooding and wildfire smoke; I've had to compete in extreme heat waves with track surfaces exceeding 140 degrees; and I've had a heat stroke while competing. Climate change from fossil fuel emissions is affecting sports right now and is a direct threat to the future of sport, as well. The companies polluting our atmosphere and endangering sports have no business doing business with the teams and games we love."