Less than a half mile from the California State Capitol, the Sacramento Kings play basketball in a solar-powered arena owned by the team's owner. say He helped make the Kings “the most sustainable franchise in sports.”

But step into the Golden 1 Center and you may encounter promotion for fossil fuels.

The Kings are one of 59 U.S. sports teams that receive sponsorship money from major oil and fossil fuel-based utility companies. The survey was released Thursday The list comes from the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the UCLA School of Law. The list includes six California teams: the Kings, LAFC, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49ers and, as I previously reported, the Dodgers.

If you're wondering why this matters, let me tell you about research that suggests fossil fuel companies, like the tobacco profiteers of old, are bribing the owners of our beloved institutions, including our beloved teams, to clean up their tarnished image and help us forget that their harmful products are causing even hotter heat waves, more intense wildfires, and worsening water shortages (not to mention good ol' deadly air pollution).

I can tell you about the research, or I can ask you to imagine watching a Sacramento Kings game, or a Giants game, or a 49ers game, or an LAFC game, and seeing a cigarette ad or a gun ad above the scoreboard.

Hard to imagine, right? So why is Big Oil's propaganda tolerated?

Evan George, communications director at the Emmet Institute, who conducted the study with the help of several undergraduate students, believes it's time to end this type of sponsorship, which he calls “sportswashing,” a play on greenwashing.

“Big oil companies want to be seen as local heroes, not social nuisances,” he said.

George noted that California Attorney General Rob Bonta is suing big oil companies for climate damage, accusing the state of a “decades-long campaign of deception.” Defendants include Chevron, which sponsors the Kings, Athletics, Giants and Los Angeles Football Club, and Phillips 66, which sponsors the Dodgers.

“There are more Californians going to baseball games on the weekend than there are people reading the 100-page complaint filed by the state of California,” George said. “Here's why fossil fuel sponsorship is so harmful.”

Speaking of Attorney General Bonta, he's an Athletics fan. When he and his son threw out the ceremonial first pitch before an Athletics game in Oakland in 2018, a cute Chevron car ad on the outfield wall provided a very visible backdrop — at least in the video. Bonta, who was a state representative at the time, later Post to Instagram.

I'm not criticizing Bonta. I've been going to Dodgers games all my life and reporting on climate for a decade, but it wasn't until this summer that I realized that every time I posted a panoramic photo of Dodger Stadium to social media, I was advertising Phillips 66, the gas station brand known for the 76 gas station ads that tower above both scoreboards.

Does Bonta think California teams should stop accepting fossil fuel sponsors? His spokesman wouldn't tell me.

However, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for all countries to Ban fossil fuel advertising.

In theory, a climate-conscious California legislature would be a great place to start.

But in reality, it may be hard to pass aggressive anti-oil legislation in Sacramento, with so many moderate Democrats receiving campaign contributions from oil companies, which is why it would be so helpful if private actors like sports teams took the lead and helped turn oil companies into outcasts.

I started this column with the Kings not just because they play a few blocks from the Capitol, Climate-friendly image Presentations by the owner, former IT executive Vivek Ranadivé, and fossil fuel propaganda that he happily exposes to fans for the right price.

As mentioned above, UCLA surveyChevron is Video Interview Series “The Winning Drive” is a drive around the city for Kings players. Social Media Search The Kings X account also features highlight videos from the Chevron-sponsored “Drive of the Game.” The team also has a partnership with Marathon Oil subsidiary Alco, and last season Free food and drinks For fans gathered at the gas station at Golden 1 Center.

Ranadivé wrote a few years ago after the Golden 1 Centre opened: “We all need to do our part to stop climate change and improve our environment, and it warms my heart to see the progress being made.”

The cognitive dissonance could be even worse. The Kings' former arena was literally Named after Arco.

Arco Arena, former home of the Sacramento Kings, was photographed in 2011. The building was demolished in 2022.

(Rich Pedroncelli/The Associated Press)

A spokesperson for the Kings did not respond to my request for comment, nor did representatives for the Athletics or Giants. So did the Los Angeles Football Club, which, like the Dodgers Foundation, has partnered with oil giants, in this case Chevron, to help support the organization. Supporting Children and Families — a noble cause, but one that serves to bolster the polluting company’s image in its local communities. This is arguably Chevron’s despicable purpose.

By refusing to discuss the matter, these teams followed the same strategy as the Dodgers, whose leaders would not say anything about my column calling for the team and its official charity to end its funding of fossil fuels.

The Dodgers' silence did not quiet the public outcry.

By Wednesday evening, 11,700 people had signed a petition calling on team owner Mark Walter to end his sponsorship of Phillips 66 and remove advertising for the 76. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles chapter of the Sierra Club Rally outside Dodger Stadium to back up the claim. It's scheduled for noon this Sunday before a home game.

“I hate that I can't take a photo of my kid without 76 in it,” George says.

No one team can save the world alone, but as I've written before, what happens in LA doesn't stay in LA: the city is a global trendsetter through entertainment, technology, and culture more broadly.

Oil money in sports is a global issue. The New Weather Institute Report It was estimated this week that fossil fuel companies are spending $5.6 billion on active sports sponsorship deals around the world.

It's hard to know how much of that money is being spent in the U.S. Even the Emmet Institute's tally of 61 fossil fuel deals across six leagues (including two league-wide partnerships) is a clear underestimate.

For example, while watching the Dodgers-Braves game at Truist Park in Atlanta over the weekend, I noticed an ad on the outfield wall for Marathon Petroleum, a sponsorship that wasn't reflected in the data used by London-based Sports Pro Media's UCLA, which also didn't include the league's deal with the NBA with ExxonMobil. Official Gasoline However, this reflects the fact that Exxon is also the official fuel of the WNBA.

“I wouldn't say it's comprehensive,” George acknowledged.

Here's a blue Alco ad on the outfield wall at San Diego's Petco Park: But the Padres aren't included in UCLA's tally of fossil fuel sponsorships.

(KC Alfred/San Diego Union-Tribune)

Of the 61 sponsorships reflected in UCLA's count, here's the full spreadsheet here — 26 are oil companies. The remaining 35 are gas or electric utilities that derive most of their electricity from coal or fossil gas.

Some of you may think that sports is not the right place to address climate change – that all we need to do is go after oil and gas executives, win elections, and take to the streets – but stop complaining about the billboards.

I understand what you're saying, and I agree. The problem is that global warming is like every other historical injustice: People of color are going to be hit first and hardest, and the political system needs a major shake-up from that mess.

To avoid climate chaos, the most powerful people in society – in sports, entertainment and other industries with cultural and economic influence – need to stop sitting on the sidelines and start taking real responsibility.

Or we can look forward to a future of 110-degree summer afternoons at the ballpark.

California Burning

San Bernardino County firefighters are working to save a home in Wrightwood while battling the Sept. 11 Bridge Fire.

(Allen J. Schaven/Los Angeles Times)

As of Wednesday afternoon, Southern California's three largest fires — the Bridge Fire, the Rhine Fire and the Airport Fire — had burned 117,000 acres. Fortunately, cooler temperatures have given firefighters an advantage over the blazes: the bridge fire is 37% contained, the railroad track fire is 50% contained, and the airport fire is 35% contained.

As always, there are stories of heartbreak and stories of hope. Let's take the fires one by one, starting with the bridge fire.

• The hardest hit was felt in the San Gabriel Mountains town of Wrightwood, where we saw the flames loom. (Reporting by Nathan Solis, Haley Smith and Lila Seidman for the LA Times)
• Southern California ski resorts hope to survive now and in a dire future. (Alex Wigglesworth, Summer Lynn)
• In the village of Mount Baldy, residents banded together to try to save as many homes as they could. (Nathan Solis)

Moving into the San Bernardino Mountains, the Rhine Fire is burning.

Finally, visit Orange County's Trabuco Canyon and the site of the Airport Fire.

• When to flee, and when to stay? Many residents faced this frightening question. (Hannah Fry)
• This surreal video shows firefighters rescuing a seriously injured woman. (Noah Goldberg and Colleen Shalby)
• Volunteers evacuated hundreds of horses, a common practice in Orange County. (Gabriel San Roman)
• Some victims are wondering: “Why was their house saved and mine not?” (Colleen Shalvey)

As always, satellite images of the smoke Amazing. And for on-site photography, it's hard to beat these stunning images captured by my LA Times colleagues Wally Skalij , Gina Ferazzi and Allen J. Schaben .

Some news about the impact of climate change-induced fires:

Are you struggling to interpret wildfire jargon? A guide to key terms from John Healy and Joseph Serna of The New York Times, including guides to evacuation zones, where to find shelters, and how to help fire victims.

One more thing

Former President Trump held a press conference on September 13th at his Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes.

(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)

I'm not the president of the United States (probably for the best), but if I were, I wouldn't threaten to withhold firefighting aid when our state is on fire, or at any other time, as former President Trump did last week.

For more, see The Times' Seema Mehta, Haley Branson Potts and Faith E. Piño. The California firefighters union was not happy. Its president accused Trump of “endangering public safety.”

This is the latest issue of Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment in the American West. Sign up to get it delivered to your inboxOr open the newsletter in your web browser here.

For more climate and environment news, Sammy Ross About X.

NOTE: Based on incorrect information from state officials, Boiling Point on Tuesday listed the American Forest and Paper Association as opposed to Senate Bill 1053. The association has taken a neutral stance on the bill.