Stefan Szymanski (University of Michigan), Jai Ku Sun (University of Michigan)
Abstract: In most countries either a single sport dominates consumer demand or rival sports run on calendars which largely avoid direct clashes. In South Korea the baseball and soccer season run in parallel, allowing us to formulate a test of substitutability between sports. the paper uses a database of over 3500 games played between 2007 and 2011 and, uniquely, controls for the impact of games played in the same sport or rival sport within a given distance of the stadium. This analysis should provide insight into both substitutability between sports and an indication of the market areas in which teams operate.
