Nationalist Moods, Soccer, and Attacks Against Immigrants: Evidence From Germany

Abstract

Does sport nationalism fuel attacks against immigrants? We propose a conceptual framework supplemented by an empirical analysis to answer this question. Building on previous literature from various disciplines we provide a conceptual framework on three interconnected themes: the mood and behavioral effects of attending sport events, the national dimension of sport events, and the dualism between patriotic and ethnic nationalism. We empirically document two opposite effects of national soccer matches on the attacks against immigrants in Germany. In the days after a losing match of the German national football team, the number of attacks against immigrants increased. While in the days after a winning match the number of attacks decreased, despite being smaller and less statistically significant. We identify the effect using the random assignment of the date of the match and controlling for calendar fluctuations. Further, we give a narrative description of the trend of attacks against immigrants before and after main international tournaments (World cup and European cup).

Keywords: Nationalism; Sports; Immigration; Xenophobic Violence

JEL Classification: J15; L38; O15; Z21