Sports Economics

Description

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.

Roger D. Blair is Walter J. Matherly Professor and Chair of the Department of Economics at the University of Florida, where he has taught since 1970. He received his PhD from Michigan State University. Professor Blair is the author or co-author of numerous books, including Antitrust Economics (with David Kaserman), Law and Economics of Vertical Integration and Control (with David Kaserman), Monopsony: Antitrust Law and Economics (with Jeffrey Harrison), Monopsony in Law and Economics (with Jeffrey Harrison, Cambridge, 2010), Intellectual Property: Economic and Legal Dimensions of Rights and Remedies (with Thomas Cotter, Cambridge, 2005), The Economics of Franchising (with Francine Lafontaine, Cambridge, 2005) and Volume 2 of Antitrust Law (with Herbert Hovenkamp, Christine Durrance and Philip Areeda). He is also the editor or co-editor of many volumes, including Proving Antitrust Damages. Professor Blair has written more than 170 articles or chapters in professional economics journals, law reviews and books.

'Sports Economics is an invaluable text that uses rigorous microeconomic analysis to explain a host of sports topics, ranging from antitrust and arbitration to profits and point shaving.' Charles L. Clotfelter, Duke University, and author, Big-Time Sports in American Universities (2011) 'In Sports Economics Roger Blair provides comprehensive coverage of the key issues in the economics of sports, and then some. This book goes beyond the typical issues covered in sports economics textbooks as it considers such topics as gambling, cheating, player misconduct and performance-enhancing drugs. It also has an extensive treatment of legal issues that arise in sports markets, an area of research to which Blair has been a major contributor. This book will clearly become a standard text for sports economics courses.' Leo H. Kahane, Providence College, and Co-Founder and Editor, Journal of Sports Economics 'This is the most comprehensive explication of sports economics for the lay reader to date. An excellent read for the avid well-educated sports fan, text for a introductory class, and research tool to cite for basic propositions and for its compilation of sources.' Stephen Ross, Pennsylvania State University 'For a thorough tour of the economics of sports, no one has done it better than [Professor] Blair. For both economists and students alike, this book covers all of the bases and hits the ball out of the park.' Harold L. Vogel, author, Entertainment Industry Economics, 8th Edition (2011) '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