Date of Defense

3-25-2012

Date of Graduation

4-28-2012

Department

Economics

First Advisor

William Kern, Economics

Second Advisor

Susan Pozo, Economics

Keywords

NHL, attendance analysis

Abstract

The National Hockey League (NHL) and professional sports as a whole are interesting to study when econometric models are applied. First, a thorough examination of current literature concerning both professional sports and econometrics will be reviewed. In addition, a full description of the data and its accompanying sources are discussed. Then, through the use of an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and hypothesis testing, the role of attendance throughout the NHL as a function of win percentage is empirically tested. Using a demand equation for the attendance of hockey games over the past 15 years, this paper will focus on determining the significance that a team's adjusted win percentage has on attendance. Specifically, a simple linear demand equation is modeled and tested for heteroscedasticity and significance at a 5 percent level. After running this regression model and performing the appropriate hypothesis tests, a team's adjusted win percentage can finally be analyzed to conclude its overall impact on attendance at NHL games. Ultimately, a team's adjusted win percentage does have a significant impact on NHL attendance. Lastly, the paper will conclude with a summary of the paper's findings and various conclusions from the regression model that are able to further advance our knowledge in the fields of econometrics and professional sports.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

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Econometrics Commons

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