True Economic Impact of a Regional NCAA Division-I University’s Fall Sport Teams

In this study, the researchers estimated the actual economic impact brought to the community by the fall sport teams of a regional state institution in Kentucky. The surveyed 172 visiting participants were randomly selected from five football (n = 72), 11 soccer (n = 56), and 14 volleyball (n = 44) games during the fall season of 2009. The results included average attendance of visitors and local fans, the participants’ total expense for attending the athletic events and projected economic impact based on that expenditure. The economic impact generated by the institution’s fall sport teams was relatively small as compared to the past research data. This study further discusses how the result of an economic impact study could be easily manipulated and inflated