Acquiring skilled workers can be a key comparative advantage for firms. However, this process involves much uncertainty that firms need to navigate. Leveraging managers' social networks can help reduce search frictions, improve match quality, and boost firm performance. In this paper, we...

In this article, we analyze how different representation models of professional football players affect their salaries in salary negotiations. We distinguish between self-representation, representation by relatives and representation by player agencies. Based on the principal agent theory and...

The phenomenon of non-transitivity in outcomes, typically observed in non-effort games with predetermined probabilities and immediate clarity, extends to teambased, time-consuming games requiring effort that unfold over a long period of time. This study explores this aspect through an empirical...

In 1983 England's fifth-tier football competition introduced a two-points-for-ahome-win and three-points-for-an-away-win reward system. This system was abolished after three seasons. The anomalous point system may have been introduced to reduce home advantage but the reasons are not fully clear...

This study investigates the CSR communication and reporting practice of professional football clubs to examine the range, variety, and visibility of their CSR information communicated to stakeholders. Adopting a case study strategy, this study focuses on Juventus football club (hereby Juventus)....

This paper examines the impairing effect of heat stress on cognitive abilities in a high-stakes setting. Building on rich play-by-play data from the National Football League (NFL) linked to variations in game-time temperature, we find that players are about 25% more likely to be sanctioned for...

Professional football clubs invest vast amounts of money in the recruitment of players. This article presents the latest advances in statistical modeling of the factors that market actors take into consideration to determine the transfer prices of professional football players. It extends to a...

According to the German Football League's guidelines, football clubs are expected to contribute to sustainable development. This study analyzes football fans' interest in and willingness-to-pay for socially and environmentally sustainable merchandise clothing. Data from fans of a German Football...

In 1983 England's fifth-tier football competition introduced a two-points-for-a-home-win and three-points-for-an-away-win reward system. This system was abolished after three seasons. The anomalous point system may have been introduced to reduce home advantage but the reasons are not fully clear...

Team performance depends not only on the individual abilities of its members and cooperation between them but also on psychological factors such as confidence, rivalry, and perceived pressure. In a regular work environment, it is challenging to isolate the contribution of psychological factors....

While sports betting markets share similarities with traditional financial markets, they are more accessible for empirical research thanks to availability of high-quality data, straightforward betting procedures, and the finite duration of events. As a result, they are often analyzed for market...

While sports betting markets share similarities with traditional financial markets, they are more accessible for empirical research thanks to availability of high-quality data, straightforward betting procedures, and the finite duration of events. As a result, they are often analyzed for market...

Team performance depends not only on the individual abilities of its members and cooperation between them but also on psychological factors such as confidence, rivalry, and perceived pressure. In a regular work environment, it is challenging to isolate the contribution of psychological factors....

We study the objectivity of officiating under extreme pressure by analysing additional time played at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2024 UEFA European Championship. Controlling for within-match events, rules should be applied consistently across both halves of a football match. However, we argue...

Purpose This study analyzes the impact of sports social media on a country regarding three international events connected to the brand Spain. It examines (1) the use and importance of various social media platforms in sports events and (2) identifies the countries generating the most social...

This study explores market value depreciation among soccer players across the top five European leagues, addressing a critical gap in the sports finance literature by focusing on post-prime valuation dynamics. Leveraging a dataset from the 2023/2024 season, player market values and attributes...

Acquiring skilled workers can be a key comparative advantage for firms. However, this process involves much uncertainty that firms need to navigate. Leveraging managers' social networks can help reduce search frictions, improve match quality, and boost firm performance. In this paper, we...

The increasing integration of technological aids, such as the video assistant referee (VAR), is fundamentally transforming decision-making processes in professional football, especially influencing critical match moments. Penalty kicks, characterised by technical simplicity but intense...

One of the potential avenues for former professional football players to pursue their career is to become a head coach of a club’s first team. An important question is how to best prepare for such a reconversion. This letter is the first in the academic literature quantifying the association...

One of the potential avenues for former professional football players to pursue their career is to become a head coach of a club's first team. An important question is how to best prepare for such a reconversion. This letter is the first in the academic literature quantifying the association...

Billions of euros are invested every year by professional football clubs for the recruitment of players. How do market actors decide prices? This paper presents an econometric model unveiling the key factors coming into play in determining fees on the transfer market for professional football...

While corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities are well-established among football clubs, COVID-19 challenged clubs' capacity and commitment to continue delivering in times of crisis. Focusing on Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) Premiership clubs and their charitable...

Most professional soccer players' careers end before their forties. Consequently, many of them face a relatively early retirement from their profession, thus facing multifaceted changes and potential issues of adjustments in different areas of their lives. Public discussion and therein expressed...

I investigate the paradoxes associated with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) point-based ranking of national soccer teams. The ranking has been plagued with paradoxes that incentivize teams to avoid playing friendly matches, i.e., matches that are not part of any...

The COVID-19 pandemic swept fans out of the stadiums, but matches continued to be played in most major football leagues. We make use of this natural experiment to investigate if home field advantage disappears when the home team is not supported by the fans. Focusing on four top European...

Superstars in European football are exceptionally talented and enjoy celebrity status. While second-tier stars, i.e., players barely below superstar status, lack popularity, their marginal contribution to team performance on the pitch relative to that of superstars is unknown. Relying on...