From professional team sports to international events such as the Olympics and Tour de France, the modern sports industry continues to attract a large number of spectators and participants. This book, edited by Richard Pomfret and John K. Wilson analyzes the economic evolution of sports over the last 150 years, from a pastime activity to a big business enterprise. It begins at a time when entrepreneurs and players first started making money from professional sports leagues, through to the impact of radio and TV in the twentieth century, and onto the present day.

The sports sector, apart from being of economic significance in itself, is clearly one that many citizens share a great interest in. It is not mere results, but aspects such as history, statistics, interest in labour markets and finances that often spark people’s interest. Historical Perspectives on Sports Economics explores a variety of topics including mega-event analysis, sports governance, anthropometrics, gambling, industrial organisation, infrastructure development and racial issues.

This book cuts through the jargon and complicated formulae to focus on the key concepts in sports economics, introducing the fundamentals in a concise and engaging way to give the reader without a background in economics the tools with which to read and apply sports economics in their work. Full of real-world cases and stories, the book offers a short economic history of sport and explains the economic foundations of the world of sport today, from local leagues to mega-events. Covering both amateur and professional sports, it explores and explains the most important issues in contemporary sports economics, from player transfer markets and the rise of women’s sports to the spending behaviour of fans and the growing shadow of corruption. A fascinating read for any student, researcher or practitioner working in sport, or for the general reader who wants to understand the background to many of the most important stories in sport today, this is the only book on sports economics that you will ever need.

How do we identify the impact of superstar players? Do referees display any bias? What has happened to competitive balance? Why do players move so freely in today's labour market? Do rule-changes influence behaviour? How effective are incentives in encouraging players to exert maximum effort? The data that professional sport generates, which is unparalleled in any other industry, provides a wealth of information to which economists can bring their analytic toolkit to answer these questions and to better understand the mechanics of professional sport. Advances in Sports Economics is a wide-ranging collection of newly commissioned essays that examines the multifaceted field of sports economics in baseball, basketball, cricket, football, Gaelic games, horse racing, rugby and tennis. Both at the professional and amateur level, sport offers economists the opportunity to study the behaviour, choices and outcomes of decisions of players and referees as well as regulators and governments. The contributors range across questions of incentives, rule changes, labour issues, competition structure, gambling, gender equality, match official behaviour and funding to explore the variety of applications that economic analysis can bring to the field.

This unique book delves into a number of intriguing issues and addresses several pertinent questions including, should gambling markets be privatized? Is the ‘hot hand’ hypothesis real or a myth? Are the ‘many’ smarter than the ‘few’ in estimating betting odds? How are prices set in fixed odds betting markets? The book also explores the informational efficiency of betting markets and the prevalence of corruption and illegal betting in sports.

“Sport has the power to change the world.” Sports Economics Uncut expresses this insight from Nelson Mandela, exploring sports as a fascinating mirror of the world and a powerful agent of change. In it, Brian Goff covers subjects ranging from the ebb and flow of racial discrimination, to inequality, law enforcement, managers and risky decisions, club membership, and politics. Much more than merely a review or synthesis, this book extends existing perspectives and explores provocative questions such as: how systematic is racial bias in pro sports today? Is all racial segregation in sports due to racial bias? How much are college athletes really worth, and is league parity really optimal?

This fascinating collection of essays explores the complex economic, political, cultural and social claims over sport, from multi-disciplinary perspectives including philosophy, history, political science and management. The book seeks to uncover some of the tensions and dilemmas wrapped up within aspects of owning sport and attempts to make sense of the place, role, meaning and function of sport when set against the broad notion of ownership. It considers the relationships between individuals, organisations and institutions, and investigates the power of grassroots participants from the bottom up. In presenting contemporary analyses from many viewpoints, not simply the commercial, it asks the reader to think of sport differently. Important reading for scholars and students with an interest in sport and society, sport management, policy or development, as well as those studying political science, economics, philosophy and development studies, this is also a useful resource for practitioners, managers and those working strategically with sport.