The study of sports in the economy presents a rich arena for the application of sharply focused microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics to both team and individual outcomes. This highly unique book offers a survey of recent analyses that continues the tradition of empirical and theoretical analysis of the economics and econometrics of sports. Including contributions by many of the leading experts in the field, the authors address four central themes, namely: competitive balance, labour relations, attendance and demand, and the economic impact of sport in the community. A wide-range of topics are explored within these themes, including: the effect of the uncertainty of outcome on attendance players' labour markets, wages and team performance variations in fan loyalty between teams and through time the determinants of football match attendance. Case studies of Major League Baseball, the National Football League (NFL) and college athletics in the US, the English premier league, the Spanish football league and other (major and minor) European football leagues underpin the discussion. This important book will prove to be a fascinating and stimulating read for academics, researchers and students interested in the econometric analysis of sport.
Contents: Foreword William Greene Preface PART I: COMPETITIVE BALANCE 1. Two to Tango: Optimum Competitive Balance in Professional Sports Leagues John Vrooman 2. Major League Baseball Attendance Time Series: League Policy Lessons Rodney Fort PART II: PLAYER'S LABOUR MARKETS 3. Wages, Transfers and the Variation of Team Performance in the English Premier League Stefan Szymanski 4. Team Wage Bills and Sporting Performance: Evidence from (Major and Minor) European Football Leagues Bernd Frick 5. Returns to Thuggery in the National Hockey League: The Effects of Increased Enforcement Leo Kahane, Neil Longley and Robert Simmons 6. Valuing the Blind Side: Pay and Performance of Offensive Linemen in the National Football League David J. Berri, Brad R. Humphreys and Robert Simmons PART III: ATTENDANCE 7. Endogeneity in Attendance Demand Models Roger G. Noll 8. Estimation of Temporal Variations in Fan Loyalty: Application of Multi-Factor Models Young Hoon Lee 9. The Determinants of Football Match Attendance in Spanish Football: An Empirical Analysis Jaume Garcia and Placido Rodriguez PART IV: ECONOMIC IMPACT 10. Estimating Economic Impact Using Ex Post Econometric Analysis: Cautionary Tales Robert Baumann and Victor Matheson 11. Should I Wish on a Stadium? Measuring the Average Effect on the Treated Gabriel M. Ahlfeldt and Georgios Kavetsos 12. Spain and the FIFA World Cup 2018: A Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis Jose Banos and Placido Rodriguez EPILOGUE Placido Rodriguez, Stefan Kesenne and Jaume Garcia Index .