A Study on the Dual Mediation Mechanism and Spatial Spillover Effects of Sports Industry Agglomeration in Driving Green Economic Growth

Based on panel data from 30 Chinese provinces (2005–2020), this study empirically explores how sports industry agglomeration impacts green economic growth and the innovative paths involved. Using the location entropy method, it constructs a Sports Industry Agglomeration Index (SII), and measures green growth with a Green GDP accounting framework (GGI). Analyses via two-way fixed - effects, mediation, and spatial Durbin models reveal(1) Sports industry agglomeration directly boosts green growth through scale effects and resource sharing, with a 1 - unit SII increase significantly raising GGI by 12.8%.(2) Technological innovation (TI) and industrial structure optimization (ISI) mediate this relationship, contributing 32.7% (via enhanced R&D and patents) and 21.4% (via increased tertiary and high - tech industry shares), respectively.(3) Significant spatial spillover effects exist, as a 1 - unit rise in neighboring regions' agglomeration levels drives local green growth by 8.6%. Case comparisons show Beijing's Olympic Center Area's high agglomeration lifted GGI by 15.8%, while Qinghai Province's dispersed industry caused green growth bottlenecks. Consequently, the study suggests innovation - driven paths like developing a "dual - circulation" industrial ecosystem, bolstering green tech incentives, refining regional cooperation mechanisms, and strengthening environmental regulations. These findings offer theoretical and empirical support for governments to optimize sports industry layouts and advance green, low - carbon transitions.