Sports Economics

Sports Economics focuses primarily on the business aspects of major professional sports, employing the principles of economics to address essential issues in the industry.

Roger D. Blair (Author)

9780521876612, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 12 December 2011

556 pages, 53 b/w illus. 53 tables
25.7 x 18.5 x 3.8 cm, 1.1 kg

'Roger Blair does a great job of applying microeconomic principles to the sports industry. This book will help students better understand both the sports world and economics because of its clear explanation of sophisticated concepts.' Jason Winfree, University of Michigan

Sports Economics, the most comprehensive textbook in the field by celebrated economist Roger D. Blair, focuses primarily on the business and economics aspects of major professional sports and the NCAA. It employs the basic principles of economics to address issues such as the organization of leagues, pricing, advertising and broadcasting as well as the labor market in sports. Among its novel features is the candid coverage of the image and integrity of players, teams, managers and the leagues themselves, including cases of gambling, cheating, misconduct and steroids. Blair explains how economic decisions are made under conditions of uncertainty using the well-known expected utility model and makes extensive use of present value concepts to analyze investment decisions. Numerous examples are drawn from the daily press. The text offers ample boxes to illustrate sports themes, as well as extensive use of diagrams, tables, problem sets and research questions.

Part I. Introduction: 1. Introduction to sports economics
Part II. The Sports Business: 2. The business of sports
3. Sports leagues and organizations
4. Competitive balance
5. Pricing decisions
6. Advertising in the sports industry
7. The market for sports broadcasting rights
8. Insuring player talent
9. Sports leagues and antitrust policy
Part III. Image and Integrity: 10. Sports gambling
11. Cheating in sports
12. Misconduct and discipline
13. Steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs
Part IV. Facilities, Franchises, and Public Policy: 14. Competition for sports franchises and events
15. Economic impact of sports events
16. Financing sports facilities
Part V. Sports Labor Market: 17. Salary determination: competition and monopsony
18. The NCAA as a collusive monopsony
19. Salary determination: bidding and bargaining
20. Economic value of multi-year contracts
21. Final offer arbitration in major league baseball
22. Players' unions and collective bargaining
23. The role of sports agents
24. Should an athlete turn pro 'early'?
25. Discrimination in sports.

Subject Areas: Sport & the law [LNJS], Organizational theory & behaviour [KJU], Political economy [KCP], Economics of industrial organisation [KCD]