Under (Financial) Pressure
利用NFL裁判数据，研究发现季后赛中裁判偏向收视率高的堪萨斯城酋长队，表明财务压力会扭曲规则执行，对监管领域有启示。
ABSTRACT We examine how financial pressure influences rule enforcement by leveraging a novel setting: NFL officiating. Unlike traditional regulatory environments, NFL officiating decisions are immediate, transparent, and publicly scrutinized, providing a unique empirical lens to test whether a worsening financial climate shapes enforcement behavior. Analyzing 13,136 defensive penalties from 2015 to 2023, we find that postseason officiating disproportionately favors the Mahomes‐era Kansas City Chiefs, coinciding with the team's emergence as a key driver of TV viewership/ratings and, thereby, revenue. Our study suggests that financial reliance on dominant entities can alter enforcement dynamics, a concern with implications far beyond sports governance.