Sports, Economics, and Natural Experiments: Advances and Retrospection

The intersection of sports, economics, and natural experiments offers a fertile ground for social scientists to explore behavioral microeconomics. Sports markets and games provide a unique environment where rules are clear, environments are controlled, and participants are highly motivated, making them ideal for natural experiments. The availability of extensive data on sports and related markets, such as consumer behavior, betting, and talent transfers, further enhances their appeal. However, despite these advantages, studies in sports economics often face challenges regarding their external validity. They can appear niche and difficult to comprehend for those not familiar with sports, potentially limiting the broader application of their findings. This issue may be hindering the full exploitation of sports as a platform for testing economic theories. Recent studies have highlighted the need for more robust empirical methods and a broader examination of the diversity within sports to enhance the generalizability of findings. There is a growing recognition of the need to aggregate and compare results across different contexts to derive more universally applicable insights.

This research topic aims to address the challenges and opportunities in using sports as natural experiments to advance the field of behavioral microeconomics. The primary objectives include applying advanced empirical methods to ensure robust findings, exploring the diversity within sports to test the generality of behavioral models, and encouraging replication studies to validate existing research. By focusing on these areas, the research seeks to enhance the credibility and applicability of sports economics studies, ultimately contributing to a deeper understanding of economic behavior.

To gather further insights in the realm of sports economics and natural experiments, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
• Application of advanced empirical methods from the causal inference revolution in sports economics.
• Comparative studies of natural experiments across different sports, cultures, and demographics.
• Exploration of the diversity of effects in sports economics and their alignment with behavioral models.
• Aggregation and interpretation of results across various contexts to derive generalizable insights.
• Replication studies of well-known economics research using sports data, with an emphasis on extending datasets and testing original findings in broader settings.