Madison Settlage is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Economic Analytics. As an undergraduate, she double majored in economics and finance and graduated with honors. In August, her research was published in the Journal of Sports Economics. We asked Madison to share her publication journey and the unique experience of conducting research with her father for us in this first-person blog.
In August, my research paper entitled “Using Orthodromic Distance to Determine Homefield Advantage in Professional Bass Fishing Tournaments” was published in the Journal of Sports Economics. This paper was a truly unique learning opportunity for me as I was able to dive into the rigorous research process with my father and economics professor, Dr. Dan Settlage. Having the opportunity to work with my father in an academic setting was very valuable and pushed me to become a better researcher. Throughout the research process, I can confidently state that my dad did not go easy on me, but rather he held me to extremely high expectations. His belief in me and his dedication to pushing me to the fullest culminated in an incredibly educational research experience.
Our paper focuses on determining if there is a significant home field advantage that accrues for professional anglers that are fishing tournament lakes closer to their home. Given that lake and climatological conditions vary greatly across the country, we suspected that anglers who are fishing a lake closer to their home might have an advantage, as they fish lakes with similar conditions more often than those who live further away. For our analysis we gathered and utilized tournament trail data for the 2022 season of the two premier professional bass fishing leagues, the B.A.S.S. Elite Series and the MLF Bass Pro Tour. After controlling for angler and venue characteristics, we found that there is in fact a statistically significant home field advantage for those fishing lakes closer to their home. This is a unique finding in the area of sports economics, as individual sports are often found to have no homefield advantage. Professional bass fishing differs from many individual sports as the venue of each tournament trail location is governed greatly by climate.
The journey from idea to publication took over a year and was filled with many milestones and learning experiences. This research was driven by a passion for bass fishing that my father and I share. Taking a hobby we both love and turning it into a successful research project was an amazing experience. We came across this research idea one day as we were watching a MLF tournament on TV. The announcers were emphasizing that many anglers were struggling to produce any fish, while the anglers from around the area were finding more success. We realized that it would be very interesting to research and determine if this advantage was simply due to chance, or if there was in fact an advantage associated with living closer to the lake being fished. Once we had this idea nailed down, we were ready to begin the research process.
To begin our research, we had to decide which tournaments and data to analyze. We spent hours gathering and cleaning data from the two premier leagues in professional fishing. We then had to obtain the USPS zip codes associated with each angler’s hometown and each tournament trail location. During this process of data gathering, I learned a great deal about successful ways to obtain and clean large data sets and gained hands on experience with big data. Once we had the data in a usable format, we worked together to specify and run appropriate models on the data to determine if there was a home field advantage. In our analysis we included variables to control for angler aptitude as well as fixed effect binaries for each lake. Upon running our models, we found a statistically significant homefield advantage in both tournament series. Excited with our significant findings, I began writing the research paper. This seemed to be a daunting task, but I dug in and developed greatly as a research writer.
After composing the first draft of the paper, my father and I decided to present our working paper at the Society of Business, Industry, and Economics (SOBIE) conference in Destin, Florida. With the help of the Honors College Travel Grant, I was able to go to Florida and present this research. At the conference, I received the award for Outstanding Student Paper. Attending this conference, presenting my research, and networking with others in the business field was an amazing opportunity. It was so valuable to present our findings and receive feedback from others, and I gained confidence as a researcher because of the experience.
Returning home from our successful conference, we continued to edit and hone our research paper based on the feedback we had received. Once we were satisfied with our paper, we submitted it to the Journal of Sports Economics. After a couple rounds of revision, we were published! It was a great 
feeling seeing this project through from idea to publication. Seeing and interacting with all phases of the research process from idea generation to working with the publishing journal was extremely informative and has helped shape my career goals.
Looking forward in my career, I am excited to continue conducting research, both with my father and with others, while I forge my path in academia. The opportunity to work closely with a parent is rare, and I am extremely grateful that I have had this experience. With a couple different projects my father and I currently have in the works, I am excited to see where life takes my career and our research.