2017–2022 global Moran’s I test table.

The paper uses spatial panel data on the number of patents in the field of sports in each province from 2017–2022 to explore the spatial and temporal evolution process of the innovation capacity of China’s sports industry and analyze its development trend based on theories related to economic geography, using exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) and Spatial-temporal correlation analysis research methods. The study shows that: 1. there is a large spatial regional disparity in the innovation capacity of China’s sports industry, showing an obvious pattern of strength in the east and weakness in the west. 2. there is an obvious phenomenon of spatial agglomeration in the innovation capacity of China’s sports industry and the agglomeration phenomenon in space is gradually increasing. 3. there is a spatial spillover effect in the innovation capacity of China’s sports industry, and the inward spillover continues to strengthen mainly into Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangsu provinces, while the outward spillover mainly goes to Guangdong, Hubei, Hebei, Hunan, Sichuan. Sports industry innovation capacity development put forward three suggestions: to promote the development of sports industry in the northwest region; to play the advantages of regional characteristics of sports industry; to accelerate the integration of neighboring regions to build the process. in order to help the high-quality development of sports industry.