WASHINGTON (WUSA9) — A few Washington sports teams are finding success in postseason play, but what impact does it all have on the city's businesses?
Bars and restaurants located near the Capital One Arena say the Wizards' and Capitals' stay in the playoffs have been helpful.
Alexandra Dunbar Fernandez, general manager of City Tap House in Penn Quarter, said her business typically sees more customers when the Capitals play at home. She told WUSA9 it is not unusual to see a 20 percent increase in business.
Fernandez said more games ultimately mean more business for her and nearby competitors.
"We do see a lot of people who come in for the Caps playoffs," she said.
The the economic impact of postseason games is a widely debated topic. While some people believe they have a major impact on bars and restaurants in a team's hometown, others are convinced they do little to change a community's status quo.
One study published by University of Maryland-Baltimore County faculty in 2002, titled "The Economic Impact of Postseason Play in Professional Sports, partically focused on a phenomenon called "crowding out".
It said non-fans, who normally frequent businesses around a stadium, stay away from the area when a sporting event is taking place in order to avoid the crowds. The study claims that action results in both groups canceling each other out economically.
Fernandez doesn't buy the theory.
"We added business," she said when it comes to her business' playoff experience.
