Frank Stephenson

Prof. Stephenson is the Henry Gund Professor of Economics. His research and teaching interests lie in sports economics and public policy, and he has published in journals including Economic Inquiry, Public Choice, Journal of Sports Economics, Sports Economics Review, and Journal of Monetary Economics. He currently serves as president of the North American Association of Sports Economists.

Education

• Ph.D. Economics, North Carolina State University
• B.A. Economics, Washington and Lee University

Teaching Interests

• Economic Analysis of Law
• Sports Economics

Research Interests

• Public Policy
• Sports Economics

Selected Publications

• "Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Effect of NIL and Transfer Rule Changes on College Basketball Players Entering the NBA Draft," Journal of Sports Economics, 26 (2025), 543-561 (with C. McDaniel and B. Meehan).
• "Caitlin Clark's Surprising Economic Impact," Economics Letters, 243 (2024), article 111926.
• "Did The Wizards Help Washington Dodge Bullets?" Sports Economics Review, 5 (2024), article 100026 (with B. Meehan).
• "International Competitions, Star Players, and NWSL Attendance," Journal of Sports Economics, 25 (2024), 186-199.
• "Bowl Game Participation and College Football Teams' Subsequent On-field and Recruiting Success: A Regression Discontinuity Approach," Economics Bulletin, 42 (2022), 1536-1546.
• "The Impact of Sporting and Cultural Events in a Heterogeneous Hotel Market: Evidence from Austin, TX,"Eastern Economic Journal, 48 (2022), 518-547 (with C. Collins and C. Depken).
• "How Does the Super Bowl Affect Host City Tourism?" Journal of Sports Economics, 22 (February 2021), 183- 201 (with L.R. Heller).
• "(Pot)Heads in Beds: The Effect of Marijuana Legalization on Hotel Occupancy in Colorado and Washington,"Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, 50 (2020), 46-53 (with B. Meehan and C. Rusko).
• "When Teammates are a Drag: The Effect of 'Spingate' on the Benefit of NASCAR Drivers Having Teammates" in Outcome Uncertainty in Sporting Events: Winning, Losing, and Competitive Balance (P. Rodriguez, S. Kesenne, and B. Humphreys, eds), 2020, 44-50 (with S. Jenkins).
• "Unconventional Wisdom: Estimating the Economic Impact of the Democratic and Republican National Political Conventions," Papers in Regional Science, 97 (November 2018), 1267-1278 (with L.R. Heller and V.A. Matheson). 
• "Hotel Demand Before, During, and After Sports Events: Evidence from Charlotte, North Carolina" Economic Inquiry, 56 (July 2018), 1764-1776 (with C.A. Depken, II).
• "Taxing the Travelers: A Note on Hotel Tax Incidence," Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, 48 (2018), 7-11 (with C.G. Collins).
• "Superstars, Uncertainty of Outcome, and PGA Tour Television Ratings," Journal of Sports Economics, 18 (December 2017), 867-875 (with C. Gooding).
• "Fracking and Labor Market Conditions: A Comparison of Pennsylvania and New York Border Counties,"Eastern Economic Journal, 43 (September 2017), 649-659 (with K.M. Hastings and L.R. Heller).
• "Beer Availability and College Football Attendance: Evidence from Mid-Major Conferences," Journal of Sports Economics, 18 (August 2017), 592-600 (with A. Chastain and S. Gohmann).
• "Does Stableford Scoring Incentivize More Aggressive Golf?" Journal of Sports Economics, 16 (August 2015), 647-663 (with J.M. Garcia).
• "Economic Freedom and Labor Market Conditions: Evidence from the States," Contemporary Economic Policy, 32 (January 2014), 56-66 (with L.R. Heller).
• "Football Frenzy: The Effect of the 2011 World Cup on Women's Professional Soccer League Attendance,"Journal of Sports Economics, 14 (August 2013), 440-448 (with A.D. LeFeuvre and S.M. Walcott).
• "Vend It Like Beckham: David Beckham's Effect on MLS Ticket Sales," International Journal of Sport Finance, 3 (November 2008), 189-195 (with R. Lawson and K. Sheehan).
• "Stadium Alcohol Availability and Baseball Attendance: Evidence from a Natural Experiment," International Journal of Sport Finance, 2 (February 2007), 36-44 (with A. Chupp and R. Taylor).