Crowds have started gathering in New Jersey to watch the Seattle Seahawks take on the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. They’re staying in local hotels, eating in local restaurants, and shopping in local stores. However, according to Victor Matheson, professor of economics at the College of the Holy Cross, who specializes in the economic impact of ‘mega-sporting events’ on host cities, they’re not making East Rutherford, N.J., any richer.
In fact, Matheson’s research, shows that mega-sporting events like the Super Bowl fail to generate significant profits and could even end up costing the host city.
Matheson tells NPR’s “Morning Edition” that the total economic impact of the game is close to zero, despite the NFL's claims to the contrary, in a radio piece today titled "Is There An Economic Benefit To Hosting The Super Bowl?"
“If I’m the mayor of New York or Newark or Trenton, I love the Super Bowl being in my backyard,” Matheson tells the New York Times. “There is nothing better than being a bigwig at the center of all this attention. Who wouldn’t want a party thrown for them, especially if somebody else is paying?” Read the entire story, A Super Bowl Estimate With a Life of Its Own (Jan. 25).
"The empirical evidence … tends to show an economic impact somewhere between one-tenth and 1/25th of what the NFL projects," Matheson told the International Business Times in a story today titled "Will The New York-New Jersey Economy Win Big? NFL Says Yes, Economist Says No."
Matheson shares his research and insight with media outlets across the country.
- Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch, Feb. 2: 10 secrets of the Super Bowl
- NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, Feb. 1: Businesses Not Scoring with Super Bowl
- The Washington Post, Feb. 1: New Jersey is only the 10th state to host a Super Bowl
- CTV News (Canada’s largest private broadcaster), Feb. 1: Economic impact of game
- The Huffington Post, Jan. 31: Richard Sherman's Big Mouth Will Pay Dividends in the Super Bowl
- Plain Dealer, Jan, 31: Super Bowl XLVIII's economic impact on New York, New Jersey being questioned: A Closer Look
- USA Today, Jan. 30: Super Bowl sales might be a sign of challenges ahead
- The Daily Beast, Jan. 30: The NFL’s Super Bowl Con: Hosting the Big Game Isn’t an Economic Score For Cities
- New York Business Journal, Jan. 29: NFL exec: "I honestly don't know" the Super Bowl's economic effect
- Iowa Public Radio, Jan. 29: Is There An Economic Benefit To Hosting The Super Bowl?
- Ad Age, Jan. 23: Marketers Will Need Extra Velvet Ropes for NYC Super Bowl Parties
- Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 22: Super Bowl tickets soar, but more fans cheer from home
- N.J. Spotlight, Jan. 21: Super Bowl Might Prove to be Not-So-Super for New Jersey
- N.J. Star Ledgar, Jan. 16: Super Bowl? The big game's economic impact will be smaller than advertised
Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch,
