Article
The Economic Impact and Civic Pride Effects of Sports Teams and Mega-Events: Do The Public and the Professionals Agree?
Economic Affairs
(2016)
Abstract
Often sports leagues, organising committees, and team owners justify the use of public funds to build sports stadiums by the perceived economic impacts and civic pride generated by the teams or mega-events. Since the 1980s many economic studies have examined the economic impact and civic pride created by professional sports teams. Most of the economic literature finds sports teams or mega-events have little or no economic impact, but there are mixed findings on the magnitude of civic pride. Overall, most of the economic literature suggests that the benefits created by sports teams or events do not outweigh the cost of public subsidies provided. We conduct a survey of public opinion on US residents’ perceptions of economic impacts and civic pride benefits from mega-events such as the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics. Our study asks the question: Do residents believe that mega-events and sports teams generate positive economic impacts and civic pride or not? We find that, like economists, the public doubts that public funding of mega-events is a good idea.
Disciplines
Publication Date
February, 2016
DOI
10.1111/ecaf.12156
Citation Information
Peter Groothuis and Kurt W Rotthoff. "The Economic Impact and Civic Pride Effects of Sports Teams and Mega-Events: Do The Public and the Professionals Agree?" Economic Affairs Vol. 36 Iss. 1 (2016) p. 21 - 32 ISSN: 0265-0665 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/kurt-rotthoff/2/