An Integrated Study of the Spatiotemporal Characteristics of the Impact of China's Digital Economy on the Upgrading of the Sports Industry

As the digital economy becomes a key driver of global economic growth, China's sports industry is currently undergoing a profound digital and intelligent transformation. Using Stata 18.0 software, this study conducts a comprehensive spatial autocorrelation analysis across 15 provincial-level regions in China from 2020 to 2024. It aims to systematically identify the complex integration patterns between the digital economy and the sports industry, providing robust empirical evidence and a solid theoretical foundation for effective policymaking. The empirical findings demonstrate that, first, the digital economy substantially advances sports industry upgrading and elevates its position in global value chains through technological integration, factor reorganization, and business-model innovation. Crucially, this positive impact exhibits a non-linear pattern of increasing marginal returns over time. Second, the effect displays marked spatiotemporal differentiation across the country. Spatially, the impact is significantly stronger in eastern China, forming high-value clusters in the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Temporally, it follows a clear diffusion path from core city polarization to broader surrounding areas via technology spillovers, capital flows, and model replication, although absolute regional disparities persist. Based on these comprehensive findings, this paper recommends implementing differentiated regional development strategies, establishing a unified national market for data factors to facilitate secure resource circulation, and strengthening cross-departmental collaborative governance to form a joint force for high-quality industrial transformation.