Abstract
Plenty of research has investigated the relationship between exports and economic growth. Because positive linkages are regarded as situational, research investigated a range of covariates that could moderate the relationship. One variable that has received scant attention is whether or not an economy hosted a mega sport event (MSE). MSEs spur massive technological projects that must be undertaken to prepare the locale. Three characteristics of MSEs make them of interest: they require significant influxes of scarce resources, additional rents from disrupted markets spillover to non-event contexts, and MSEs’ international scale provides opportunities for cross-border relationships. The analysis investigates the effect of a MSE on host nations’ high technology exports (HTX). Results suggest that hosting a MSE was generative of HTX for Developed nations, but not for Developing nations. This holds implications for (1) academics seeking to develop theories supporting a linkage between MSEs and entrepreneurial rents, and (2) practitioners seeking to develop optimal trade relationships.
JEL Classifications:
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).