Externalities of Violence: The Effects of National Hockey League Fighting on Youth Hockey Participation

Prior research has focused on the effects of National Hockey League (NHL) fights on fan attendance and profits of NHL teams. We examine the potentially larger external costs of fighting in the NHL on youth hockey participation in the United States and Canada. Using an instrumental variables approach we find that the number of NHL fights in a season has a significant negative effect on male youth hockey participation in the United States, but less definitive effects in Canada or on female youth participation. These negative impacts on US youth hockey participation have meaningful subsequent impacts on revenue for USA Hockey and local youth hockey organizations and businesses.