The digital economy (DE) is characterized by high efficiency and being green, intelligent and innovative, which means that it can reduce carbon emissions and empower the green development of the sports industry. Therefore, exploring the relationship between digital economy and carbon emissions in the sports industry holds great significance. Based on 2010-2021 panel data covering 30 provinces in China, the digital economy development level (DEL) and carbon emissions of the sports industry (CESI) are measured. Then, a two-way fixed effect model, threshold effect model and spatial Durbin model are used to examine the impact of the digital economy on the carbon emissions of the sports industry. The results show the following: (1) After multiple tests, the development of the digital economy has a significant inhibitory effect on the CESI; in other words, the development of the digital economy can drive the low-carbon development of the sports industry. (2) The influence of the development of the digital economy on the CESI has a nonlinear feature of an increasing marginal effect and a spatial spillover effect. (3) From the perspective of regional heterogeneity, the development dividend of the digital economy in the developed eastern region of China is greater than that in the less developed central and western regions, having a more significant impact on the low-carbon development of the sports industry. Therefore, it is necessary for China to speed up the construction of digital infrastructure, build an integrated layout of digital infrastructure, give full play to the radiating role of the digital economy, and implement differentiated development paths based on regional comparative advantages.