IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/jospec/v24y2023i1p73-96.html

Professional Sports Events and Public Spending: Evidence from Municipal Police Budgets

Author

Listed:
  • Hyunwoong Pyun
  • Brad R. Humphreys
  • Umair Khalil

Abstract

Prior evidence reveals a causal relationship between sporting events and crime. If sporting events increase crime, they also increase public spending on policing. We analyze the crime-police spending relationship using data from the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll over the periods 1979–1995 and 1997–2010 for a sample of 52 US municipalities with and without teams. Reduced form regression models reveal that police employment increases with the arrival and departure of an NFL team as well as with the number of postseason games played. We argue that both these outcomes generate plausibly exogenous variation in sports-related demand for policing.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jospec:v:24:y:2023:i:1:p:73-96
    DOI: 10.1177/15270025221107145
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15270025221107145
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/15270025221107145?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daniel I. Rees & Kevin T. Schnepel, 2009. "College Football Games and Crime," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 10(1), pages 68-87, February.
    2. Charles Stoecker & Nicholas J. Sanders & Alan Barreca, 2016. "Success Is Something to Sneeze At: Influenza Mortality in Cities that Participate in the Super Bowl," American Journal of Health Economics, MIT Press, vol. 2(1), pages 125-143, Winter.
    3. Clément de Chaisemartin & Xavier D'Haultfœuille, 2020. "Two-Way Fixed Effects Estimators with Heterogeneous Treatment Effects," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 110(9), pages 2964-2996, September.
    4. Stéphane Bonhomme & Elena Manresa, 2015. "Grouped Patterns of Heterogeneity in Panel Data," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 83(3), pages 1147-1184, May.
    5. Dennis Coates & Brad R. Humphreys, 1999. "The growth effects of sport franchises, stadia, and arenas," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 18(4), pages 601-624.
    6. Alexander, Donald L. & Kern, William & Neill, Jon, 2000. "Valuing the Consumption Benefits from Professional Sports Franchises," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(2), pages 321-337, September.
    7. XiaoGang Che & Brad Humphreys, 2015. "Competition Between Sports Leagues: Theory and Evidence on Rival League Formation in North America," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 46(2), pages 127-143, March.
    8. Montolio, Daniel & Planells-Struse, Simón, 2016. "How time shapes crime: The temporal impacts of football matches on crime," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 99-113.
    9. David Card & Gordon B. Dahl, 2011. "Family Violence and Football: The Effect of Unexpected Emotional Cues on Violent Behavior," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 126(1), pages 103-143.
    10. Hyunwoong Pyun & Joshua C. Hall, 2019. "Does the presence of professional football cause crime in a city? Evidence from Pontiac, Michigan," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(36), pages 3958-3970, August.
    11. Brad R. Humphreys, 2019. "Should The Construction Of New Professional Sports Facilities Be Subsidized?," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 38(1), pages 264-270, January.
    12. 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.
    13. 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.
    14. Hyunwoong Pyun, 2019. "Exploring causal relationship between Major League Baseball games and crime: a synthetic control analysis," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 365-383, July.
    15. Charles Stoecker & Nicholas J. Sanders & Alan Barreca, 2016. "Success Is Something to Sneeze At: Influenza Mortality in Cities that Participate in the Super Bowl," American Journal of Health Economics, MIT Press, vol. 2(1), pages 125-143, January.
    16. Munyo, Ignacio & Rossi, Martín A., 2013. "Frustration, euphoria, and violent crime," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 136-142.
    17. Dennis Coates & Brad R. Humphreys, 2002. "The Economic Impact of Postseason Play in Professional Sports," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 3(3), pages 291-299, August.
    18. 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.
    19. Brad R. Humphreys & Hyunwoong Pyun, 2018. "Professional sporting events and traffic: Evidence from U.S. cities," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(5), pages 869-886, November.
    20. Humphreys, Brad R. & Zhou, Li, 2015. "Reference-dependent preferences, team relocations, and major league expansion," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 10-25.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. John Charles Bradbury & Dennis Coates & Brad R. Humphreys, 2023. "The impact of professional sports franchises and venues on local economies: A comprehensive survey," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(4), pages 1389-1431, September.
    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. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. Hyunwoong Pyun, 2019. "Exploring causal relationship between Major League Baseball games and crime: a synthetic control analysis," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 365-383, July.
    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. Rui Du & Junfu Zhang, 2022. "Super bowl participation and the local economy: Evidence from the stock market," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(4), pages 1513-1545, December.
    9. Brad R. Humphreys & Jane E. Ruseski, 2025. "Professional Sports Facility Construction Projects and Infant Health," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 26(4), pages 397-426, May.
    10. Chen, Yongqi & Riddell, Jordan R. & Hill, Joshua B. & Chen, Peng & Piquero, Alex R. & Kurland, Justin, 2022. "Gold, silver, and bronze: Measuring the impact of the Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics on crime," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    11. Wenche Wang & Hua Gong, 2026. "The Impact of Legalized Sports Betting on Aggression," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 27(1), pages 116-146, January.
    12. Bagwell, Ryan & Leal, Wanda E. & Kondrat, Allison & Piquero, Alex R., 2025. "Variation in location and type of property calls for service in New Orleans on NFL and NBA Gamedays," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    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. Kikuta, Kyosuke & Uesugi, Mamoru, 2023. "Do Politically Irrelevant Events Cause Conflict? The Cross-continental Effects of European Professional Football on Protests in Africa," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 77(1), pages 179-216, January.
    15. Ivandić, Ria & Kirchmaier, Tom & Saeidi, Yasaman & Torres Blas, Neus, 2024. "Football, alcohol, and domestic abuse," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 230(C).
    16. 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.
    17. John Charles Bradbury & Dennis Coates & Brad R. Humphreys, 2024. "Public policy toward professional sports stadiums: A review," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(3), pages 899-937, June.
    18. 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.
    19. J. James Reade, 2023. "Large Sporting Events and Public Health and Safety," Economics Discussion Papers em-dp2023-04, Department of Economics, University of Reading.
    20. Nils Braakmann & Andy & J. James Reade & Gennaro Rossi, 2025. "Football Matches and Policing: Evidence from London," Economics Discussion Papers em-dp2025-07, Department of Economics, University of Reading.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:jospec:v:24:y:2023:i:1:p:73-96. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.