Political activity in escalation of commitment: Sport facility funding and government decision making in the United States

•The purpose of this study was to investigate the role and impact of political action in EoC.•Political action is essential in EoC with decisions involving multiple stakeholder groups.•Political action influences and interacts with each EoC determinant.•Support, resources, power, and influence play substantial roles in efforts to increase and prevent EoC.•Several spillover effects result from use of political activity in EoC.In the United States, the decision to commit extensive public resources to sport facilities is a contentious topic of debate. Elected officials often commit substantial public resources to sport facility projects amidst contrary empirical evidence and mixed residential approval. This behavior not only implicates the presence of political activity to advance a course of action, but also suggests an escalation of commitment (EoC), the subject of this study. The authors implemented a collective case study approach to examine three municipalities with long-standing histories of subsidizing professional sport facilities. Data collected from influential elected officials and public leaders (N = 13) as well as documents and records revealed (a) political action to be essential in EoC with decisions involving multiple stakeholder groups; (b) the influence and interaction of political action within each EoC determinant; (c) the substantial role of support, resources, power, and influence in efforts to increase and prevent commitment to a failing course of action; and (d) noticeable spillover effects from use of political activity in EoC.