Hello there,

In today’s edition:

• Impact of local hockey players on attendance and revenue

• Sideline assessment of concussion and exertion levels

• Effects of post-exercise cooling on muscle recovery

• Revenue impacts in elite sports due to player origin

• Cardiovascular responses during spaceflight

• Energy expenditure in a long ultramarathon

and several more…

In focus: The Economic Impact of Local Hockey Players on Attendance and Revenue

Sport economics research, covered in today’s edition, reveals that the presence of locally born players in the National Hockey League (NHL) creates substantial economic benefits, fundamentally reshaping how teams approach talent acquisition and community engagement. The comprehensive study, published in the Journal of Sports Economics, analyzed 31 NHL teams over 14 seasons (2005-2018) and demonstrates that each additional homegrown player completing a full season increases home game attendance by approximately 12,000 spectators and generates $4.8 million in additional revenue annually.

This economic impact stems from deeper psychological and social connections between fans and local players, who serve as cultural ambassadors fostering stronger regional identity and community pride. The effect proves remarkably consistent across diverse geographic contexts, from traditional “Original Six” teams in northern markets to non-traditional southern franchises, indicating broad applicability regardless of hockey culture maturity. Research on fan engagement and team identification supports these findings, showing that geographic proximity and community connections significantly influence consumption behaviors including match attendance and merchandise purchases.

For teams struggling with attendance challenges, the strategic value becomes even more pronounced. Local players are prominently featured in promotional materials and serve as relatable figures who enhance fan loyalty through shared community identity. The UBC Okanagan study suggests teams should invest more heavily in locally-based player development programs and early mentorship initiatives, as the economic benefits clearly justify such investments. This research provides the first quantitative framework for understanding how player origins directly impact professional sports economics, offering actionable insights for both team management and community sports development programs.

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Python Coding Challenge: Calculate Local Player Revenue Impact

Sports teams constantly analyze how different factors affect game attendance and revenue. Based on recent NHL research showing that each local player adds approximately 12,000 fans per game and $4.8 million in annual revenue, understanding these relationships is crucial for team management. This coding exercise will help you process attendance data and calculate the financial impact of local players - a skill valuable for sports analytics, business analysis, and data science careers.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to process lists of numerical data

• Basic statistical calculations (sum, average)

• Function creation and parameter handling

• Revenue calculation and business metrics

def calculate_attendance_impact(attendance_list, local_player_count):
    # This line creates a new function called 'calculate_attendance_impact'
    # It takes two inputs: a list of attendance numbers and count of local players
    
    # This line adds up all the attendance numbers in our list
    total_attendance = sum(attendance_list)
    
    # This line calculates the average attendance by dividing total by number of games
    # The 'if attendance_list else 0' prevents division by zero if the list is empty
    average_attendance = total_attendance / len(attendance_list) if attendance_list else 0
    
    # This line multiplies average attendance by local player count to estimate impact
    # This is a simplified model - real analysis would be more complex
    return average_attendance * local_player_count

# These lines show how to use the function:
attendance_data = [15000, 18000, 16500, 19000, 21000]  # Five games' attendance figures
local_players = 2  # Number of local players on the team

# This line calls our function and prints the result
print(calculate_attendance_impact(attendance_data, local_players))

💻 Launch This Project in Colab

Open the interactive Google Colab notebook for today's project — with full instructions, hints, and solutions to the extension task on how to also calculate and return the total revenue.

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🏒 How Local Players Boost NHL Attendance and Revenue

Key finding:

Locally born NHL players significantly increase game attendance by 12,000 fans and revenue by $4.8 million per season.

How they did it:

• Methodology: The study analyzed attendance and revenue data from 31 NHL teams over a 14-season period (2005-2018), focusing on the relationship between locally born players—defined as those born within the same state/province or within 100 km of the team’s arena—and game attendance and revenue.

• Results: Each additional locally born player completing a full season resulted in an increase in home game attendance by approximately 12,000 spectators and boosted team revenue by about $4.8 million per season.

• Consistency: The positive impact of locally born players on attendance and revenue was consistent across different geographic regions, including traditional and non-traditional hockey markets, indicating broader applicability of the findings.

• Statistical Analysis: Regression results revealed that every additional game played by local players increased average season attendance by 0.02% and revenue by 0.05%, translating to an estimated additional 284 spectators and $4.82 million in revenue for local players participating in all 82 games in a season.

• Innovations: The study utilized a refined definition of locally born players and examined alternative measures, including the influence of local star and main players, providing a more nuanced understanding of how player origins affect fan engagement and financial outcomes in professional sports.

Why it matters:

Understanding the local player effect can offer valuable insights for NHL coaches and team management. The study found that for every additional locally born player on a team, attendance increased by about 12,000 fans per home game and revenue rose by approximately $4.8 million annually. This underscores the importance of developing local talent and fostering strong community relationships, helping teams not only attract fans but also strengthen their financial standing.

🏃‍♂️ Can Mild Exercise Affect Concussion Tests?

Key finding:

Mild and moderate exertion do not significantly affect sideline concussion assessment scores in adolescent athletes.

How they did it:

• Methodology: The study enrolled 47 healthy adolescents aged 13-18 from two high schools, randomly assigned to No Exertion, Mild Exertion (50%-55% of max heart rate), or Moderate Exertion (70%-75% of max heart rate) groups, evaluating the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 5 (SCAT5) and Vestibular Ocular Motor Screen (VOMS) before and after the intervention.

• Results: The No Exertion group displayed a mean reduction in symptom severity of 0.688 points (p=0.003), while the Mild and Moderate Exertion groups did not show significant changes in symptoms or cognitive scores post-exertion; combined exertion resulted in a medium improvement in symptoms (effect size d=0.38) and a small increase in balance errors (d=-0.17).

• Statistical Analysis: Post-exertion comparisons revealed no significant differences among the three groups for any clinical measure, and discrepancies in participants’ perceived exertion indicated that the exertion levels did not significantly impact the assessments.

• Innovations: This study is notable for being the first randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect sizes of specified doses of exertion on commonly used sideline concussion assessment tools, providing a foundation for future research on maximal exertion’s impact.

• Conclusion: Findings suggest mild and moderate exertion have little effect on SCAT5 and VOMS performance, supporting the validity of these testing tools in sideline assessments immediately after aerobic activity in adolescent athletes, although further definitive trials are recommended.

Why it matters:

Understanding how mild and moderate exertion influences sideline concussion assessments is crucial for athletes and coaches alike. The study shows that such exertion leads to only small changes in symptom reporting and cognitive scores on tools like the SCAT5. This means that these assessments remain reliable even after a bit of physical activity—offering a clearer path for deciding whether athletes can safely return to play.

Athlete Health and Well-being

🏫 Why Vulnerable Students Lack Access to Athletic Trainers

-Increased social vulnerability is linked to reduced access to certified athletic trainers in California high schools.

Injury

🚀 How Space Travel Affects Your Heart Rate and Pressure

-Wearing NASA’s compression garments helps mitigate cardiovascular stress in astronauts after long-duration spaceflight.

Nutrition

🏃‍♂️ Surviving a 161-KM Ultramarathon: Energy Secrets Revealed

-Ultramarathon runners expend significant energy and struggle to restore fluid and calorie balance during recovery.

Recovery

🧊 Why Cold Water After Exercise Can Hurt Your Gains

-Cold-water immersion after exercise reduces muscle blood flow and amino acid absorption, impairing muscle recovery.

Sport Physiology

🪂 How Altitude Affects Your Body During Exercise

-Cerebral and muscular oxygen levels are lower in hypobaric normoxia than normobaric hypoxia during rest and exercise.

Sport Physiology

⚽ Unlocking Elite Futsal Performance Through Training Insights

-Full-court training exercises are the most demanding, while mid-court exercises show greater variability than matches.

Sport Psychology

🏅 How Sports Boost Body Image in Young Female Athletes

-Active sports participation boosts body appreciation but is linked to increased anxiety in adolescent female athletes after the season ends.

Sport Psychology

🏟️ What Turns Sports Fans Into Passionate Owners?

-Group identification enhances psychological ownership among sports fans, positively affecting their prosocial behavior and psychological well-being.