Citation

Hartmann D, Depro B. J. Sport Soc. Iss. 2006; 30(2): 180-196.

Affiliation

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus, Minneapolis (hartm021@umn.edu)

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0193723506286863

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The authors conducted a preliminary empirical test of the claim--dismissed by most scholars--that midnight basketball programs lower city-level crime rates. Results show cities that were early adopters of officially sanctioned midnight basketball leagues experienced sharper decreases in property crime rates than other American cities during a period in which there was broad support for midnight basketball programs. Although likely associated with a variety of confounding factors, these rather-surprising results suggest the need to reevaluate the deterrent effects of popular sports- and recreation-based prevention programs with a new emphasis on more diffuse, indirect mechanisms such as positive publicity and community trust. Further substantiation and refinement of these ideas could significantly reshape how these popular and well-established initiatives are implemented and evaluated.