Idrottens betydelse, nationella effekter av sportslig framgång.

Abstract

The connection between sports and economy is widely discussed in many different fields and circumstances. However, the discussions usually regard the effect that money has on sports, rather than the other way around. Setting aside the times when sports are used for political reasons, the effect that sports has on the economy is a different story. Indications of cases where national sports triumphs have had a lasting impact on nations exists, but a wide perspective is missing and global comparisons have not been made so far. This study attempts to make such comparisons, and take into consideration a large number of sporting triumphs and compare them to GDP per capita growth. By collecting these triumphs and making a series of regressions with them and growth in GDP per capita, we try to find trends following national success in a big sporting event. However, the problems with specifying and valuing sporting triumphs makes it a difficult endeavor. No definitive results have been found, and further research with resources and knowledge to classify the triumphs more accurately is needed to approach the question with similar methods. In addition to this, more factors that affect the outcome can be found and could be included in future research.