Subjective Well-Being and Social Experiences with Sport Mega-Events: The Case of Rio 2016

Abstract

Sport mega-events are often supported for their supposed ability to achieve positive social outcomes for the host country residents. However, empirical evidence regarding the effect of sport mega-events on subjective well-being is ambiguous, and therefore there remain questions regarding the effectiveness of sport mega-events in producing positive subjective well-being outcomes, to what extent, and how these outcomes may occur. The purpose of this chapter is to outline an example of how subjective well-being and social experiences have been addressed in relation to a sport mega-event, and to offer considerations for future research in this area. The study presented here was conducted via questionnaire during (n=402), and after (n=401) the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and investigated if social impact experiences from the event could explain variance in subjective well-being amongst host country residents. During the event, we found that social impact experiences were not predictors of subjective well-being. Results following the event demonstrated similar findings. These results indicate that social experiences promoted by hosting Rio 2016 did not change the subjective well-being of host country residents. The results are consistent with existing literature on social impacts of sport events, however are not consistent with existing literature regarding sport event hosting and subjective well-being. We suggest avenues for future research to further investigate subjective well-being and sport events in regard to possible underlying mechanisms of subjective well-being, the longevity of sport mega-event effects on host residents, as well as possible contextual and theoretical advancements in this line of inquiry.