| Abstract: | Recently much research has linked media violence with actual violence. The most serious violence, suicides, and homicides have been connected to events portrayed in the mass media. In this study I examine the effect of NFL football playoff games on the relative incidence of homicides between standard metropolitan statistical areas (SMSAs) with and without participating teams. Results show that homicides may be related to participation. Specifically, SMSAs with losing teams experience significantly more homicides than SMSAs with winning teams. |
