OUTCOME UNCERTAINTY,FAN TRAVEL,AND AGGREGATE ATTENDANCE |
| |
| Authors: | Brad R. Humphreys Thomas J. Miceli |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Economics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506;2. Department of Economics, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, 06269-1063 |
| |
| Abstract: | The uncertainty of outcome hypothesis (UOH) informs economists' understanding of consumer decisions to attend sporting events and team revenue generation. We develop a model of fan behavior based on standard expected utility methods which incorporates fan heterogeneity in terms of decisions to travel to away games and strong preferences for wins. The model reflects aggregate attendance outcomes across local and visiting fans, generates predictions consistent with the UOH, and gives rise to concave league-wide revenue functions. Empirical analysis of game outcomes and attendance at regular season National Basketball association games from 1979 to 2013 supports key predictions of the model. (JEL L83, D12, Z20) |
| |
| Keywords: | |
|
|
