The impact of participation frequency and travel distances for different sport participation purposes on subjective well-being: the ‘unhappy commuter’ and the happy sport tourist?

Research question: This study examines the impact of traveling for different sport participation purposes on subjective well-being. It extends previous research by distinguishing between different participation purposes and investigating travel distances for each purpose. Research methods: Survey data on the travel behavior of sport participants in 21 sports in Germany were collected (n = 7060). Participation frequency and the number of kilometers traveled for different purposes, including training sessions, competitions or tournaments, league games, day trips, and sport vacations or training camps, were assessed for a one-year period. The empirical analysis takes endogeneity into account by using a set of instrumental variables for the five participation frequency and travel distance variables. Results and findings: Ordinary least squares regression results show a significant negative relationship between traveling to training sessions and subjective well-being, while the association of sport vacations/training camps is positive and significant. The instrumental variable models reveal significant positive effects for traveling to training sessions and day trips. Implications: The findings support the importance of considering the causality of effects. The notion of the unhappy commuter found in existing travel research is not supported for traveling to regular training sessions. Traveling for the purpose of competitive sports (tournaments, league games) does not yield significant well-being outcomes, suggesting that participation in various forms of sport competitions generates stress for participants.