Canadian Crime Rates in the Penalty Box

TL;DR

This paper observes correlations between Canadian crime rates and sports penalties, highlighting the importance of cautious interpretation and further research to understand potential underlying factors.

Contribution

It presents novel correlations between crime rates and sports penalties, emphasizing the need for careful analysis beyond mere association.

Findings

Canadian violent crime correlates with NHL penalties

Property crime correlates with MLB stolen base attempts

Correlation does not imply causation or direct association

Abstract

Over the 1962 to 2016 period, the Canadian violent crime rate has remained strongly correlated with National Hockey League (NHL) penalties. The Canadian property crime rate was similarly correlated with stolen base attempts in the Major League Baseball (MLB). Of course, correlation does not imply causation or prove association. It is simply presented here as an observation. Curious readers might be tempted to conduct additional research and ask questions in order to enhance the conversation, transition away from a state of confusion, clarify the situation, prevent false attribution, and possibly solve a problem that economists call identification.