No Basketball, No Problem: Why a lost NBA season wouldn’t be a disaster for local economies.

by Kaboomm on Oct 6, 2011 7:20 AM PDT

From Slate.com:

"There is no way the NBA lockout will have any significant economic consequences," says the University of Alberta’s Brad Humphreys, an economist who has studied the effects of sports work stoppages. ...

"Work stoppages in baseball and football have never had significant impacts on local economies," they wrote. As icing on the cake, they looked at NBA cities that had lost their teams and found the same thing: bupkis. "The departure of a franchise in any sport, particularly in basketball, has never significantly lowered real per capita personal income in a metropolitan area,” Humphreys and Coates wrote. ...

When people choose to spend money on one entertainment activity, that's also a decision not to spend that money elsewhere. Every basketball ticket you buy is a movie ticket not purchased, or a fancy dinner not eaten. If the NBA season doesn't start on time, Charlotte and Indianapolis and Portland will find something else to spend money on: college basketball, movies, restaurants.

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Rec'd for use of the word "bupkis"

by Hipster Olympic Team! on Oct 7, 2011 12:16 PM PDT reply actions

Yeah, it won't hurt on a macrolevel.

"I Am Mine"

by AK1984 on Oct 8, 2011 2:38 AM PDT reply actions

yeah

the money may well stay in Portland, but it certainly hurts the bar/restaurant industry. As well as the several million dollars that the city receives from the blazers for parking. The hotels suffer as well. While people will still spend money, specific industries will certainly be hit.

by Caurelius on Oct 9, 2011 11:28 PM PDT up reply actions

That's exactly right.

"I Am Mine"

by AK1984 on Oct 10, 2011 2:25 AM PDT up reply actions

People still like to drink

I think it’s even narrower than that… it will basically only affect the bars that cater specifically to Blazer fans. Their drinking business will be distributed to other bars throughout the city.

The amount of business the NBA brings to the hotel industry (I assume you are talking about visiting teams coming to town, etc.) is probably so small it’s not even measurable within that industry.

i keep dancing on my own.

by atomiccafe on Oct 11, 2011 7:09 AM PDT up reply actions