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Professional Sporting Events and Traffic: Evidence from US Cities

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  • Brad R. Humphreys

    (West Virginia University, Department of Economics)

  • Hyunwoong Pyun

    (West Virginia University, Department of Economics)

Abstract

Sporting events concentrate people at specific locations on game day. No empirical evidence currently exists linking sporting events to local traffic conditions. We analyze urban mobility data from 25 US etropolitan areas with MLB teams over the period 1990 to 2014 to assess the relationship between local traffic and Major League Baseball (MLB) games. Instrumental variable regression results indicate MLB attendance causes increases in local vehicle-miles traveled. At the sample average attendance of 2.8 million, average daily vehicle-miles traveled increases by about 6.9% in cities with MLB teams. Traffic congestion increases by 2%, suggesting that MLB games generate congestion externalities.

Suggested Citation

  • Brad R. Humphreys & Hyunwoong Pyun, 2017. "Professional Sporting Events and Traffic: Evidence from US Cities," Working Papers 17-05, Department of Economics, West Virginia University.
  • Handle: RePEc:wvu:wpaper:17-05
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    File URL: http://busecon.wvu.edu/phd_economics/pdf/17-05.pdf
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    Cited by:

    1. Brad R. Humphreys, 2023. "Professional Sports Subsidies and Urban Congestion Externalities: Assessing 50 Years of Failed Urban Economic Development Policies," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 49(4), pages 457-474, October.
    2. Lindsey, Robin & de Palma, André & Silva, Hugo E., 2019. "Equilibrium in a dynamic model of congestion with large and small users," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 82-107.
    3. Stephen L. Locke, 2019. "Estimating The Impact Of Major League Baseball Games On Local Air Pollution," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 37(2), pages 236-244, April.
    4. Zachary T. Keeler & Heather M. Stephens & Brad R. Humphreys, 2021. "The Amenity Value of Sports Facilities: Evidence From the Staples Center in Los Angeles," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 22(7), pages 799-822, October.
    5. Hyunwoong Pyun & Jeeyoon Kim & Torsten Schlesinger & Luca Matto, 2020. "Positive Externalities from Professional Football Clubs in the Metropolitan Rhine-Ruhr, Germany: Trickle-Down Effects Associated with Promotion and Relegation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-12, October.
    6. John Charles Bradbury, 2022. "Does hosting a professional sports team benefit the local community? Evidence from property assessments," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 219-252, December.
    7. Hiroaki Funahashi & Alexander Cardazzi & Nicholas Masafumi Watanabe, 2023. "Mass Gathering Sport Events and the Spread of Viral Respiratory Infection: Japanese Professional Baseball and Influenza," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 24(5), pages 551-578, June.
    8. J. James Reade & Dominik Schreyer & Carl Singleton, 2021. "Stadium attendance demand during the COVID-19 crisis: early empirical evidence from Belarus," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(18), pages 1542-1547, October.
    9. Geoffrey Propheter, 2023. "Sports Facilities as a Housing Amenity: Do Prices Follow Facilities?," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 24(4), pages 443-474, May.
    10. Candon Johnson & Joshua Hall, 2019. "The Public Choice of Public Stadium Financing: Evidence from San Diego Referenda," Economies, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-9, March.
    11. Dennis Mares & Emily Blackburn, 2019. "Major League Baseball and Crime: Opportunity, Spatial Patterns, and Team Rivalry at St. Louis Cardinal Games," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 20(7), pages 875-902, October.
    12. John Charles Bradbury, 2022. "The impact of sports stadiums on localized commercial activity: Evidence from a Business Improvement District," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(1), pages 194-217, January.
    13. Brad R. Humphreys & Jane E. Ruseski, 2019. "Geographic Determinants of Infant Health: The Impact of Sports Facility Construction Projects," Working Papers 19-06, Department of Economics, West Virginia University.
    14. Aakrit Joshi & Brady P. Horn & Robert P. Berrens, 2020. "Major league soccer expansion and property values: do sports franchises generate amenities or disamenities?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(44), pages 4881-4899, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    transportation; traffic congestion; vehicle-miles traveled; Major League Baseball;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Z20 - Other Special Topics - - Sports Economics - - - General
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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