Do fans' emotions influence charitable donations? Evidence from monetary and returnable cup donations in German soccer stadiums

ABSTRACT

I study the influence of league match results of two German soccer clubs on their fans' prosocial behavior in the stadium. For this purpose, a unique donation scheme is analyzed that collects charitable donations in the form of returnable cups with volunteers' help (in addition to monetary donations). Using time-series analyses for matches from 2010 to 2020, the results suggest that home fans are willing to donate more to charity due to their club's positive match results (victories). The results also indicate that reference-dependent preferences play a role in home fans' willingness to donate. First, victories following a halftime draw lead to increased returnable cup donations. Second, the positive effects of wins are more likely to be explained by expected wins taking into account the team's quality or the betting odds as reference points.