@TechReport{iza:izadps:dp18512,
            	author={Grund, Christian and Hirsch, Michael},
            	title={Dirty Air, Dirty Play: The Effect of Air Pollution on Sabotage in Tournaments},
            	year={2026},
	month={Apr},
            	institution={Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)},
            	address={Bonn},
            	type={IZA Discussion Paper},
            	number={18512},
            	url={https://www.iza.org/publications/dp18512},
	abstract={In this study, we examine the influence of air pollution, measured by particulate matter concentration (PM_10 and PM_2.5), on sabotage in rank order tournaments. To achieve this, we use player-level data from German Soccer Bundesliga players between 2009 and 2024, which we link with hourly pollution values on the exact match location and kick-off time. This research design addresses key identification problems in estimating the effect of air pollution on non-health outcomes. Our results suggest that an increase in particulate matter concentration has a statistically significant effect on destructive efforts (i.e. competitive sabotage), measured in fouls committed by a player. If particulate matter pollution measured in PM_10 (PM_2.5) increases by 10 μg/m^3, the number of fouls committed increases by 0.6% (0.9%). We also find strong evidence that this effect is driven primarily by players from weaker teams (underdogs).},
	keywords={tournaments;sabotage;air pollution},
            }