Host Community Reactions to Motorsport Events: The Perception of Impact on Quality of Life

Abstract

This chapter presents some findings from case studies undertaken in two Australian cities that play host to major motorsports events: Melbourne, Victoria, which hosts the Australian Formula One Grand Prix; and the Gold Coast, Queensland, which is the venue for the Indy 300. The case studies show, among others, that: (1) these motorsports events are perceived as having a range of positive and negative impacts on the host population but, on balance, the community as a whole seems to perceive these two events as having a positive overall impact; (2) the identification of subgroups of the community with quite different (polarized) reactions to these events raises issues of social distributive justice; (3) perceptions of participation and justice seem to play a role in determining reactions to this type of event; and (4) residents who identify with the theme are more likely to disregard or tolerate the negative impacts, because of the offsetting benefit they derive through being entertained.