This study estimates Major League Baseball (MLB) player salaries for three distinct periods of time. The data from the first time period, 1961 through 1973, were collected in 1974, but analysis of that set has never been published. During that period the reserve clause was fully in effect. The...

This paper identifies the unique problems faced by Canadian small market (CSM) franchises in the National Hockey League (NHL). While featuring characteristics similar to other major leagues in North America, CSM franchises are also burdened by currency and taxation issues that favor US-based...

Despite the common perception that African-American coaches face discrimination obstacles, only two rigorous statistical studies exist that actually address the issue of racial variation in retention of coaches. Neither study accounts for variation in the level of talent across coaches and the...

This paper analyzes the changes induced by the newly introduced UCI Pro Tour on the behavior of racing teams. We develop an oligopolistic model starting from the well-known Cournot framework to analyze why the UCI Pro Tour fails to reach its primary aim, namely to increase overall competition...

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game (Lewis, 2003) is in essence the story of how the Oakland Athletics under its general manager, Billy Beane, have successfully challenged bigmarket rivals such as the New York Yankees in recent years yet have typically spent only around one third of the...

The unwillingness of team owners to share their data prohibits a direct assessment of the value of professional team sports ownership. But insights into that value can be gleaned from actual team sale prices. First, throughout the entire modern history of Major League Baseball (MLB), the average...

There is no bigger event in the world of sports than the quandrennial Summer Olympic Games. In recent years, the competition among cities to host the Games has been as vigorous as that among the athletes themselves. But why would a city wish to take on the financial burden and risk of hosting...