Using the 2018–2019 NBA season, we examine the causes and effects of star players missing games. Focusing on 19 star players, we find that injury, proximity to the end of season, games on consecutive days, and opponent quality lead to missed games. We then estimate a model of NBA television audience size using granular data from nationally broadcast games. Doubling the proportion of star players missing games reduces TV audience by approximately 6.5 million household viewings per regular season. A rough estimate of the advertising revenue lost due to stars missing games is between $15 and $20 million per season.
BerriD. J.BrookS. L.SchmidtM. B. (2004). Stars at the gate: The impact of star power on NBA gate revenues. Journal of Sports Economics, 5(1), 33–50. doi:10.1177/1527002503254051
2.
Brandes, L., Franck, E., & Nüesch, S. (2008). Local heroes and superstars : An empirical analysis of star attraction in German soccer. Journal of Sports Economics, 9(3), 266–286. doi:10.1177/1527002507302026
3.
BuraimoB. (2008). Stadium attendance and television audience demand in English league football. Managerial and Decision Economics, 29(6), 513–523. doi:10.1002/mde.1421
4.
BuraimoB.SimmonsR. (2015). Uncertainty of outcome or star quality? Television audience demand for English Premier League football. International Journal of the Economics of Business, 22(3), 449–469. doi:10.1080/13571516.2015.1010282
CoatesD.HumphreysB. R.ZhouL. (2014). Reference-dependent preferences, loss aversion, and live game attendance. Economic Inquiry, 52(3), 959–973. doi:10.1111/ecin.12061
7.
ConteD.KamarauskasP.FerioliD.ScanlanA.KamandulisS.PaulauskasH.LukonaitieneI. (2020). Workload and well-being across games played on consecutive days during in-season phase in basketball players. The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 61(4), 534–541. doi:10.23736/S0022-4707.20.11396-3
8.
CoxA. (2012). Live broadcasting, gate revenue, and football club performance: Some evidence. International Journal of the Economics of Business, 19(1), 75–98. doi:10.1080/13571516.2012.643668
9.
FeddersenA.HumphreysB. R.SoebbingB. P. (2023). Contest incentives, team effort, and betting market outcomes in European football. European Sport Management Quarterly, 23(3), 605–621. doi:10.1080/16184742.2021.1898432
10.
ForrestD.SimmonsR.BuraimoB. (2005). Outcome uncertainty and the couch potato audience. Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 52(4), 641–661. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9485.2005.00360.x
11.
Franck, E., & Nuesch, S. (2012). Talent and/or popularity: What does it take to be a superstar? Economic Inquiry, 50(1), 202–216. doi:10.1111/j.1465-7295.2010.00360.x
12.
HausmanJ. A.LeonardG. K. (1997). Superstars in the National Basketball Association: Economic value and policy. Journal of Labor Economics, 15(4), 586–624. doi:10.1086/209839
13.
HumphreysB. R.JohnsonC. (2020). The effect of superstars on game attendance: Evidence from the NBA. Journal of Sports Economics, 21(2), 152–175. doi:10.1177/1527002519885441
14.
HumphreysB. R.PérezL. (2019). Loss aversion, upset preference, and sports television viewing audience size. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 78, 61–67. doi:10.1016/j.socec.2018.12.002
15.
JaneW.-J. (2016). The effect of star quality on attendance demand: The case of the National Basketball Association. Journal of Sports Economics, 17(4), 396–417. doi:10.1177/1527002514530405
16.
Jewell, R. T. (2017). The effect of marquee players on sports demand: The case of U.S. Major league soccer. Journal of Sports Economics, 18(3), 239–252. doi:10.1177/1527002514567922
17.
Lawson, R. A., Sheehan, K., & Stephenson, E. F. (2008). Vend it like Beckham: David Beckham's effect on MLS ticket sales. International Journal of Sport Finance, 3(4), 189–195.
18.
LewisM. (2018). It’s a hard-knock life: Game load, fatigue, and injury risk in the National Basketball Association. Journal of Athletic Training, 53(5), 503–509. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-243-17
19.
Lewis, M., & Yoon, Y. (2018). An empirical examination of the development and impact of star power in major league baseball. Journal of Sports Economics, 19(2), 155–187. doi:10.1177/1527002515626220
20.
MorikawaL.TummalaS.BrinkmanJ.PettyS.ChhabraA. (2022). Effect of a condensed NBA season on injury risk: An analysis of the 2020 season and player safety. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 10(9), 1–9. doi:10.4085/1062-6050-243-17
21.
MorseA.ShapiroS.McEvoyC.RascherD. (2008). The effects of roster turnover on demand in the National Basketball Association. International Journal of Sport Finance, 3(1), 8–18. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1690885
PaulR. J.WeinbachA. P. (2015). The betting market as a forecast of television ratings for primetime NFL football. International Journal of Sport Finance, 10(3), 284–296.
SalagaS.TainskyS. (2015). Betting lines and college football television ratings. Economics Letters, 132, 112–116. doi:10.1016/j.econlet.2015.04.032
26.
ScellesN. (2017). Star quality and competitive balance? Television audience demand for English Premier League football reconsidered. Applied Economics Letters, 24(19), 1399–1402. doi:10.1080/13504851.2017.1282125
27.
SchmidtM. B.BerriD. J. (2006). Research note: What takes them out to the ball game?Journal of Sports Economics, 7(2), 222–233. doi:10.1177/1527002504271352
28.
SolowJ.ReillyP.von AllmenP. (2023). Within-game uncertainty of outcome and the demand for professional basketball on television. Working paper.
29.
TainskyS.XuJ.ZhouY. (2014). Qualifying the game uncertainty effect: A gamelevel analysis of NFL postseason broadcast ratings. Journal of Sports Economics, 15(3), 219–236. doi:10.1177/1527002512457946
30.
von AllmenP.SolowJ. (2011). The demand for aggressive behavior in American stock car racing. In JewellR. (Ed.), Violence and Aggression in Sporting Contests. Sports Economics, Management and Policy (pp. 79–96), vol 4. Springer.
