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Entertainment as Crime Prevention: Evidence From Chicago Sports Games

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  • Ryan Copus
  • Hannah Laqueur

Abstract

The concern that mass media may be responsible for aggressive and criminal behavior is widespread. Comparatively little consideration has been given to its diversionary function. We test for the effect of television entertainment on crime by leveraging the randomness inherent in the scheduling of sporting events. We compare Chicago crime reports by the half hour when Chicago’s sports teams are playing to reports at the same time, day, and month when the teams are not playing. We conduct the same analysis for the Super Bowl, National Basketball Association Finals, and Major League Baseball World Series. We find consistent decreases in crime during games. Short-term crime displacement is minimal or nonexistent.

Suggested Citation

  • Ryan Copus & Hannah Laqueur, 2019. "Entertainment as Crime Prevention: Evidence From Chicago Sports Games," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 20(3), pages 344-370, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jospec:v:20:y:2019:i:3:p:344-370
    DOI: 10.1177/1527002518762551
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Olivier Marie, 2016. "Police and thieves in the stadium: measuring the (multiple) effects of football matches on crime," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 179(1), pages 273-292, January.
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    1. Hyunwoong Pyun & Brad R. Humphreys & Umair Khalil, 2023. "Professional Sports Events and Public Spending: Evidence from Municipal Police Budgets," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 24(1), pages 73-96, January.
    2. Gustavo Canavire-Bacarreza & Catalina Gomez-Toro & Joaquin A. Urrego, 2025. "Offside Urban Echoes: Exploring the Spatial Dynamics of Soccer and Crime in Medellin," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 26(5), pages 589-623, June.
    3. Masiero, Ilaria, 2020. "The effect of police on crime: evidence from the 2014 World Cup in São Paulo," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 123389, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    4. Aubrey M. Stewart & Nicholas A. Wright, 2024. "Remote Viewership of International Sporting Events and Crime: Evidence From Jamaica," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 25(5), pages 610-633, June.
    5. Ilaria Masiero, 2022. "Sports-based Entertainment and Crime Evidence from Football Games in Brazil," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 23(8), pages 1076-1095, December.
    6. Wang, Hongning & Ma, Sanjun, 2022. "Preventing crimes against public health with artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).

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