Left at the Gate: A Discrete Choice Model of Fan Attendance in the Canadian Football League
Date
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The body of literature investigating spectator attendance in sports has developed using various forms of regression with secondary data, leading to a series of fairly consistent findings. The aggregate secondary data that has been used in these studies, which has been effective in developing this body of knowledge, is inherently limited in its ability to explain the most basic element of the attendance issue: how individual consumers choose whether or not to attend a game. The objective of this research is to provide these consumer-level insights, specifically for games in the Canadian Football League, by utilizing a discrete choice methodology. This study generates primary data from actual consumers, while incorporating many of the standard demand determinants. The results of this study show that while the quality of both participating teams are significant predictors of demand, their relative quality is not; contradicting the uncertainty of outcomes hypothesis.