This paper investigates factors that contribute to attendance in Major League Soccer with a primary focus on the effect of repeat rivalry matches during a season. Using ordinary least squares, a panel of 2,193 matches (6 seasons) finds significant effects of a variety of match determinants, including how rivalries are defined in the estimation. With an increased focus on creating rivalries, the data supports potential diminishing returns from overscheduling of rivalry matches. Fans and leagues appear to place a high value on scheduling rivalry matches, however it appears these impacts are relatively short-sighted and are not consistent across each rivalry match during the season. Numerous other factors at the club and league's discretion may provide larger impacts for leagues with a primary goal of increasing attendance.
BaimbridgeM. (1997). Match attendance at Euro 96: Was the crowd waving or drowning?Applied Economics Letters, 4(9), 555–558.
3.
BaimbridgeM., CameronS., & DawsonP. (1996). Satellite television and the demand for football: A whole new ball game?Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 43(3), 317–333.
4.
BuraimoB. (2008). Stadium attendance and television audience demand in English league football. Managerial and Decision Economics, 29(6), 513–523.
5.
BuraimoB., ForrestD., & SimmonsR. (2009). Insights for clubs from modelling match attendance in football. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 60(2), 147–155.
6.
BuraimoB., & SimmonsR. (2008). Do sports fans really value uncertainty of outcome? Evidence from the English Premier League. International Journal of Sport Finance, 3(3), 146.
7.
BuraimoB., & SimmonsR. (2009a). Market size and attendance in English Premier League football. International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 6(2), 200–214.
8.
BuraimoB., & SimmonsR. (2009b). A tale of two audiences: Spectators, television viewers and outcome uncertainty in Spanish football. Journal of Economics and Business, 61(4), 326–338.
9.
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.
DeSchriverT. D. (2007). Much adieu about Freddy: Freddy Adu and attendance in major league soccer. Journal of Sport Management, 21(3), 438–451.
12.
ForrestD., & SimmonsR. (2002). Outcome uncertainty and attendance demand in sport: the case of English soccer. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series D (The Statistician), 51(2), 229–241.
13.
ForrestD., & SimmonsR. (2006). New issues in attendance demand: The case of the English football league. Journal of Sports Economics, 7(3), 247–266.
14.
ForrestD., SimmonsR., & BuraimoB. (2005). Outcome uncertainty and the couch potato audience. Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 52(4), 641–661.
JewellR. T. (2017). The effect of marquee players on sports demand: The case of US Major League Soccer. Journal of Sports Economics, 18(3), 239–252.
17.
JewellR. T., & MolinaD. J. (2005). An evaluation of the relationship between Hispanics and Major League Soccer. Journal of Sports Economics, 6(2),160-177.
18.
LawsonR. A., SheehanK., & StephensonE. F. (2008). Vend it like Beckham: David Beck-ham's effect on MLS ticket sales. International Journal of Sport Finance, 3(4), 189–195.
19.
LoveA., KavazisA. N., MorseA., & MayerK. C.Jr (2013). Soccer-Specific Stadiums and Attendance in Major League Soccer: Investigating the Novelty Effect. Journal of Applied Sport Management, 5(2), 32–41.
20.
MasonD. S. (1999). What is the sports product and who buys it? The marketing of professional sports leagues. European Journal of Marketing, 33(3/4), 402–419.
SchickT.(2009, August 11). Final Timbers-Sounders league match gets all fouled up. Portland Tribune. Retrieved January 2, 2018. [Archived article not available]
WinfreeJ. A., McCluskeyJ. J., MittelhammerR. C., & FortR. (2004). Location and attendance in Major League Baseball. Applied Economics, 36(19), 2117–2124.
28.
WootenJ. J. (2017). A case for complements? Location and attendance in Major League Soccer. Applied Economics Letters, 25(7) 442-446.
