Does the Phillies’ Pennant Mean It’s Good to be a Philadelphia Plaintiff’s Lawyer?
posted by Dave Hoffman
I had the tremendous pleasure of attending yesterday’s 6-1 Phillies victory over the Nationals. In the ninth, the crowd learned of the Mets’ loss (and consequent, miraculous, Phillies clinching of the National League East pennant) about five minutes before the scoreboard posted that result, demonstrating the quick response time of social networks. I screamed my head off, and as a result will be hoarse for class tonight. Ironically, I’m teaching acceptance by silence.
But I didn’t put up this post just to gloat. That would be wrong.
Well after the game, I wondered about the interaction between sports victories and legal decision making. I know there are studies out there that correlate a home-team’s victory with a limited bump in local discretionary spending, and that overall wins (and teams) have negligible effects on economic growth. That makes some sense to me. But sports victories certainly have noneconomic effects. Wins change the atmosphere in cities (like Philadelphia) where there are tightly-connected urban communities. Just to relay an anecdote: this morning, on the subway, I observed someone actually give up their place to a woman transporting two small children. I don’t think that happens on an ordinary day in Philly.
Does winning matter for law? It’s not implausible, and it is relatively easy to test. I bet that jury awards today for prevailing plaintiffs are higher than average, and that judges are slightly less likely to grant summary judgment. (And visa versa. I would not want to open a civil case before a Queens jury today.) Civic noise certainly matters to legal decisionmakers: if the narrative around town is “the underdog has prevailed,” that has got to have some impact on the legal system. All of which is to say: plaintiffs lawyers able to choose cases might consider picking clients likely to go to trial in jurisdictions with winning local sports teams.
October 1, 2007 at 4:17 pm
Posted in: Behavioral Law and Economics, Current Events, Empirical Analysis of Law, Humor, Law and Psychology, Law School (Scholarship)
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Responses (3)
Matt Bodie - October 1, 2007 at 5:40 pm
If you’re looking for data sets, perhaps you could try Cleveland in late 1995, Baltimore in March 1984, or Brooklyn in 1957.
greglas - October 1, 2007 at 9:16 pm
I think you posted this just to gloat, Dave. But I’m fine with that!
Howard Wasserman - October 2, 2007 at 8:26 am
You focus on judicial decisions, but the phenomenon, if it exists, also might extend to other branches of state and local government. What sorts of laws and policies does the city council enact? What initiatives does the mayor take? And, more practically, what effect does winning have on law enforcement–do police go easier on speeders or double-parkers or graffiti artists and other “quality of life” violators?
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