Sports Economics

This new edition includes an overview of the history of the development of sports markets and the role of economics in the analysis of these markets. It examines the demand for activities, facilities, equipment, travel and leisure time and problems affecting the recreation manager, such as pricing, investment and budgeting.

Rich and his contributing authors give a far reaching, rigorous analysis of the impact that professional sports stadiums and arenas have on the economies of their host communities. Critical of, yet sympathetic to, the problems of the sports industry, the book emphasizes the cost of sports facilities and makes clear that as engines of economic development, they are of dubious value. Thoroughly researched and scrupulously objective, the book provides among other things the first comparative study of host cities, raises the question of the role of the sports media, and examines the "theater of sports" and its cultural meaning.

Focusing on the issue of franchise relocation, The Sports Franchise Game portrays a complex web of motivations, negotiations, financing, and public relations. Shropshire's in-depth analysis reveals how owners manipulate the franchise system to minimize their risks and maximize their profits. As cities heat up the bidding wars to win or keep a major league team, franchise owners benefit by moving their sports teams from one locale to another, or by simply threatening to make such a move. In its meticulous detail and informed analysis, The Sports Franchise Game provides a startling and memorable study of the business aspects of our national pastimes. The book will be of particular interest to policymakers, sports management professionals, and students of law and management.

In the business of professional league sports, market conditions are the key determinate of the financial success or failure of a team. In the last few years, major league sports has experienced both growth into new markets and relocations of existing teams. Owners and the leagues use demographics, economic data, and governmental support to decide on where and when to expand and relocate. This book examines the sports business from 1950 through 2000. Historical demographic, economic, and team-related data provide the context. The authors apply metropolitan area statistics such as population growth and income, game attendance, and estimated market values to examine the business decisions made by individual teams in professional baseball, football, and basketball.

Experienced attorney and sports enthusiast Freedman provides a comprehensive and extremely informative discussion of the antitrust legislation that affects professional sports--now undeniably a major business in the United States. In addition to thorough coverage of such legal aspects of professional sports as exemption and non-exemption from antitrust laws, anti-competitive practices, restraints of trade, and state regulation, Freedman also provides relevant case law and supporting decisions throughout. Following an introductory section outlining the history of professional sports law and an overview of legal relationships in professional sports, Freedman traces the experience of each of the major sports--baseball, football, basketball, hockey, boxing, wrestling, tennis, golf, and soccer--as pertains to antitrust laws. He offers an incisive analysis of monopolistic aspects of professional sports and other anti-competitive practices against the professional athlete and also examines state regulations and tort and contract liability in professional sports. He concludes with a chapter on the relationship between professional sports and First Amendment freedom of expression.

Dazzled by visions of economic growth and enhanced prestige for their communities, state and local government leaders have created a veritable welfare system for major league sports. This system has pampered owners by providing them with new stadiums and arenas, investment opportunities, luxury suites, and practice facilities. Why should the public fund these franchises when the sports industry is so successful? In Major League Losers, Mark S. Rosentraub explains the history of this practice and reveals the surprising fact that cities gain little from hosting a major league ball club. He provides government officials and taxpayers with a clearer understanding of how a city can, and should, negotiate with sports franchises. This new, concise edition includes a discussion of the recent fight by the New York Yankees and other teams to gain new stadiums.

First issued in 1986, this volume and its companion on professional sports leagues were soon recognized as ideal sources for the sports law practitioner. Now, in a thoroughly revised and updated version, this book continues to identify the most significant and current cases in amateur sports, providing extensive analysis and interpretation of each case in a clear, readable, and lively style.

The sports industry presents many unusual and interesting opportunities for the application of economic theory and econometrics. In 15 professional papers, this book addresses current economic issues in the industry, including the problem of competitive balance, the location of professional sports teams and their impact on local communities, managerial decision making, and issues related to labor markets. Extending the previous research in sports economics, the papers reflect the most recent applications of economic theory in this area. The book will be a valuable resource for professional economists working on sports economics topics.

This collection of contributions by 14 professional economists analyzes the current economic issues in major league baseball. Most of these issues are related to the recent disputes between owners and players over a collective bargaining agreement and between large-market and small-market owners over revenue sharing. Issues addressed include the impact of the construction of new stadiums and racial discrimination on attendance. In addition, players' salaries, free agency, cost of player development, and arbitration are discussed.

This book presents an original economic analysis of the English professional football industry. The economic influences on decisions taken by owners, managers, players and spectators are all considered, using theoretical and empirical methods of economic investigation. The empirical analysis draws on English club-level data, with extensive international comparisons. Concludes with an extended discussion of a number of major economic policy issues affecting the future of the football industry, including European super league proposals, contractual arrangements in the players' labor market, and football's evolving relationship with the broadcasting media.

Do dominant teams kill public interest in professional sports? This text offers a survey of the economic literature on sporting leagues, the demand for professional team sports and the players' labour market.