The Geography of Game Day: Stadiums, Football, and the Spatial Clustering of Crime

The current study addresses the spatial clustering of all crimes, property crimes, and violent crimes on days the Atlanta Falcons play home games versus days with no sporting events, and examines whether opening a new stadium affects the spatial clustering of crime. The study finds that spatial clusters of crime are stable for days with no sporting events across time frames. When the Falcons play home games, there is a significant spatial clustering of all crimes and property crimes near the stadium. Violent crime clusters show the most instability across game days and time frames. The study provides evidence that stadiums have a spatial and temporal effect that alters the spatial clustering of crime on game days.