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Rationale: Over the last two decades, sports economists and management scholars alike have increasingly begun modeling the tv demand for professional sports, most notably association football. However, there as yet exists no empirical study on whether the observed mechanisms are robust across different distribution channels. Design/methodology/approach: In this study, we add to this still-emerging literature stream by analyzing the robustness of otherwise well-explored determinants of tv demand across different distribution channels (free-to-air and pay-tv), also distinguishing between male and female tv audiences. Findings/research contribution: Interestingly, exploring the German tv demand for F1 racing at two different tv channels holding non-exclusive media rights between 2011 and 2017, we note that the effects of most (e.g. the starting time, weather), though not all, determinants are robust across the two different channels and the two audience groups. Practical implications: Our results thus suggest that media right holders interested in maximizing television audience demand for a sport broadcast are well-advised to add nuance to their communication efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research question: In this study, we add to the slowly emerging literature on modeling the demand for women's sports by exploring the robustness of the determinants for women's volleyball – previously a largely neglected team sport – across three different distribution channels, i.e. online streaming, TV broadcasts, and the stadium experience. Research methods: We exploit a data set containing information on consumer interest in the German Women's Volleyball League (VBL) in 2019. In line with the literature on modeling consumer interest in sports, we estimate on-/offline audiences and spectator demand, in terms of semi-elasticity, by Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressions. Results: We find that volleyball demand is relatively stable across two of the three distribution channels (i.e. online streaming and TV broadcasts) and, to a lesser degree, the stadium experience. This pattern is particularly problematic for a niche sport's online streaming offerings that, often initiated with high hopes, seem to attract only a fraction of the otherwise relatively strong consumer interest in the sport's TV offerings. Implications: While we believe that future research is well-advised to add nuance to the analysis of (women's) sports demand across different distribution channels, our results also suggest that sporting bodies should carefully weigh the pros and cons of an exclusively online distribution strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the potential importance of awards as a possible career catalyst, research on awards is still in its infancy, specifically in sports management. Here, we address this shortcoming in the sports economics and management literature by exploring data from youth association football. Estimating different probit regression models, we analyze whether an early career award, the so-called Fritz Walter Medal, significantly affects the awardee's career trajectory in a highly competitive environment, i.e. German youth football, where performance differences are often still hardly perceivable. We find that receiving an award seems, per se, to be a robust positive signal for a player's future career success. Intriguingly, though, both the award characteristics and the awardee's age only add limited explanatory power. Our empirical results indicate that winning a prestigious award can represent a reliable status-oriented signal for individuals, especially young gifted talents entering highly competitive job markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No‐show behavior, a distinct form of absenteeism, is often problematic, particularly in the service industry. Given the growing relevance of the phenomenon in the industry, an increasing number of researchers from such different disciplines as educational economics, healthcare management research, and sports economics have begun examining both the potential antecedents and measures to counteract no‐show behavior, recently. Although the continuously growing body of literature on no‐show behavior has been reviewed before, most such previous attempts were neither interdisciplinary nor systematic, sometimes lacking both completeness and thoroughness. In this article, we address this gap in the still‐emerging literature by providing a systematic, interdisciplinary review of the literature. We observe that, although the potential antecedents are manifold and not always neatly comparable across the different industries, there still exist commonalities, most of which are related to product characteristics and the opportunity costs arising from physical attendance. In contrast, although we document a promising effect of exploiting reminders in reducing no‐show behavior, our understanding of the effectiveness of potential countermeasures is less pronounced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European soccer leagues' internationalization efforts have significantly increased the number of available telecasts abroad. In the US, this has fueled discussions about the degree of audience overlap between networks broadcasting international soccer. However, whether and to what extent telecasts of different leagues indeed constitute substitutes has never been explored empirically. Drawing on US audience data for Bundesliga telecasts, we analyze the impact of scheduling clashes with Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A games. Econometric demand models reveal sizeable substitution effects caused primarily by overlapping Premier League games, suggesting significant competition for the soccer audience in the US market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because maximizing stadium attendance demand is of utmost importance, for both sports economists and sport management researchers, understanding the potential determinants of such demand better has become a priority in the last decades. Here, conducting a systematic scoping review, we map this previous research in terms of its characteristics, its nature, and its volume, thus offering a concise perspective on what has been previously explored, and, more importantly, what remains to be analyzed in the future. Intriguingly, we observe a lack of studies exploring data generated in both niche and women's sports, as well as in most emerging markets. Further, the field has not yet established the use of disaggregated stadium attendance data, despite notable potential methodological pitfalls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use a series of historical natural experiments in association football to test whether social pressure from a home stadium crowd affected behavior and outcomes. The standout effect of an empty stadium was that referees cautioned visiting players less often, by over a third of a yellow card per match or once for every 22 fouls committed. Stadium crowds caused referees to favor the home team in their decision‐making. Empty stadiums appear to have reduced the overall home advantage in the final outcomes of football matches, but we cannot statistically reject no effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]