Victor Matheson specializes in sports economics, specifically the economic impact of “mega-sporting events” on host cities; public finance; the economics of lotteries and gambling; and natural resource economics. In particular, his sports economics research, which dispels the notion that major events (such as the Olympics, World Series and Super Bowl) and new sports infrastructure (such as stadiums or arenas) provide large economic dividends for host cities have made him a widely sought-after expert.

He has provided expert commentary to dozens of media outlets including The New York Times, National Public Radio, The Boston Globe, ESPN, the Associated Press, CBS Evening News, American Public Media's Marketplace, CNN, and MSNBC.com, among others. Matheson is the author of over 80 scholarly articles or book chapters on a wide variety of topics.