“…Due to the difficulties associated with ex ante estimation, numerous scholars estimate the effects of mega-events on local economies by ex post estimation which examines the actual economic performance of local areas that host large events. While few ex post studies of conventions are found in the existing literature, many authors have examined of major sporting events such as the Olympics (Baade and Matheson, 2002;Jasmand and Maennig, 2007) or World Cup (Baade and Matheson, 2004;Hagn and Maennig, 2007a;2007b), the Super Bowl (Porter, 1999;Baade and Matheson, 2006;Coates, 2006), All-Star Games (Baade and Matheson, 2001;Coates, 2006), and post season play in general (Coates and Humphreys, 2002;Coates and Depken, 2006;Baade, Baumann, and Matheson, 2008). The overwhelming majority of ex ante studies of mega-sporting events find little to no significant positive economic impact from hosting these events.…”