@article {34181,
	title = {Air pollution kills competition: Evidence from eSports},
	journal = {Journal of Environmental Economics and Management},
	volume = {122},
	year = {2023},
	abstract = {This article investigates how environmental adversity affects competitive performance in cognitive-intensive settings. Using a comprehensive dataset of professional eSports tournaments and match-hour variation of fine particulate matters, we find robust evidence that pollution kills competition. Specifically, higher air pollution levels diminish the performance and winning odds of the weaker team in a matchup while boosting that of the stronger team, widening the gap between them. We document two operating channels: (i) pollution leads to heterogeneous performance-reducing effects contingent on a team{\textquoteright}s relative strength against their opponent, rather than its absolute competitiveness; and (ii) a weaker team adjusts their strategic decision-making differently in a polluted environment compared to their stronger counterparts. Our findings elucidate the distributional impact of environmental adversity and underscore its influence on strategic decision-making.},
	url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0095069623001043},
	author = {Jiawei Mo; Zenan Wu; Ye Yuan}
}
