Economic agents react to incentives, and this holds true for professional football teams as well. Double round-robin and single-match elimination represent two opposite competition regimes, with incentives varying distinctly between them. At the level of individual matches, a single defeat needs...

This study investigates the economic impact of China's "stadium diplomacy" in Sub-Saharan Africa. Exploiting the staggered timing of the construction in a difference-in-differences framework, we analyze the effect of Chinese-built and financed stadiums on local economic development. Employing...

This article aims to understand the importance of having a stadium owned by a football club as an added value if it is designed and managed from a socially responsible perspective in a context, that of Italian sport, which is still far from European standards in terms of infrastructure. The...

In US-based studies focusing on the impact of new sports stadiums on attendance, a recurring observation is the temporary nature of the initial positive effect, commonly described as a novelty or honeymoon effect. This paper revisits the attendance effects of new sports stadiums in a European...

This article is intended to inform public policy regarding stadium subsidies, which state and local governments routinely provide to support professional sports teams. We review theoretical and empirical evidence regarding economic justifications for public funding, focusing on recent research...

Professional sports teams commonly reevaluate their location decisions based on the prospect of building new, more attractive, stadiums. Even though a large economic literature warns about the modest (and possibly negative) effects on the local economy of hosting a professional sports team, the...

This study aims to investigate the social importance of sport in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat. As an instrument for social cohesion and integration, sport has become a very important part of municipal activity. We use two surveys: the Baròmetre, which gathers opinion about municipal services;...

Several football stadiums were built or renovated in France for hosting the 2016 UEFA European Football Championship. This study examines to which extent the financial support by local governments for stadium construction or renovation induces soft budget constraints (SBC) for professional...

This paper estimates the impact of new stadiums on attendance and revenues of Major League Baseball teams between 1970 and 2019. Recent studies have shown that conventional two-way fixed effects (TWFE) models may produce biased estimates, proposing an “imputation” method instead. This paper...

In US-based studies focusing on the impact of new sports stadiums on attendance, a recurring observation is the temporary nature of the initial positive effect, commonly described as a novelty or honeymoon effect. This paper revisits the attendance effects of new sports stadiums in a European...

Though most studies find that sports stadiums are not strong drivers of economic activity in metropolitan areas, localized development effects may be sufficient to justify public subsidies for a host municipality if circumstances are favorable. This analysis examines the economic ramifications...

The city beautiful movement, which in the early 20th Century advocated city beautification as a way to improve the living conditions and civic virtues of the urban dweller, had languished by the Great Depression. Today, new urban economic theory and policymakers are coming to see the provision...

For football executives, understanding the determinants of spectator no-show behavior better is of utmost importance. Recent research efforts, however, have primarily focused on exploring the potential effects of determinants that the club management can hardly influence (e.g., potential...

We analyze attendance of professional football matches in England finding that it is related to unemployment over a very long period of time. More unemployment leads to lower attendances. Distinguishing between leagues, we find that the relationship is larger for lower leagues, i.e. attendance...

In his last season as professional football player, Johan Cruyff played at Feyenoord. This paper shows that Cruyff improved the performance of his team and provides evidence of his presence attracting more stadium attendants to the home ground. From this it is concluded that Cruyff made a...

This paper examines long-term developments in stadium attendance in professional football in the Netherlands. As in many other European countries attendance had a U-shaped development with the lowest numbers in the mid-1980s. The developments in the Netherlands do not seem to have been affected...

This edited volume discusses the economic impact of sports facilities, franchises, and events on local economies. Written in honor of Robert Baade upon his retirement, the book provides a state-of-the-art of current research on the economic impact of sports, and recognizes the seminal...