The Oxford Handbook of Sports Economics: Volumes 1 & 2 (Oxford Handbooks) - Hardcover

9780199796830: The Oxford Handbook of Sports Economics: Volumes 1 & 2 (Oxford Handbooks)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0199796831 ISBN 13: 9780199796830

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2012

Stephen Shmanske and Leo Kahane have brought together nearly all of the important authors in the quickly growing field of Sports Economics to contribute chapters to this two-volume set. The result is truly informative in its content and path breaking in its importance to the field. Anyone contemplating research in the field of sports economics will find the works in these volumes to provide both ample background in subject after subject and numerous suggestions for future avenues of research.

The editors have recognized two ways that economics and sports interact. First, economic analysis has helped everyone understand many of the peculiar institutions in sports. And second, quality data about individual productivity, salaries, career histories, teamwork, and managerial behavior has helped economists study topics as varied as the economics of discrimination, salary dispersion, and antitrust policy. These two themes of economics helping sports and sports helping economics provide the organizational structure to the two-volume set.

The reader will find that sports economists employ or comment on practically every field in economics. Labor Economics comes into play in the areas of salary formation, salary dispersion, and discrimination. Baseball's history and the NCAA are studied with Industrial Organization and Antitrust. Public Finance and Contingent Value Modeling come into play in the study of stadium finance and franchise location. The Efficient Market Hypothesis is examined with data from gambling markets. Macroeconomic effects are studied with data from mega events like the Super Bowl, The World Cup, and the Olympics. The limits of Econometrics are pushed and illustrated with superb data in many of the papers herein. Topics in Applied microeconomics like demand estimation and price discrimination are also covered in several of the included papers. Game Theory, measurement of production functions, and measurement of managerial efficiency all come into play. Talented authors in each of these fields have made contributions to these volumes.

The volumes are also rich from the point of view of the sports fan. Every major team sport is covered, and many interesting comparisons can be made especially between the North American League organization and the European-style promotion and relegation leagues. Golf, NASCAR, College athletics, Women's sports, the Olympics, and even bowling are represented in these pages. There is literally something for everyone.

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About the Author:

Stephen Shmanske has taught Economics at California State University, East Bay (formerly C.S.U., Hayward) for more than 30 years.

Leo H. Kahane is Associate Professor of Economics at Providence College and Editor of the Journal of Sports Economics.

Review:

"Covering professional and NCAA team and individual sports, this set provides timely overviews of major sports industry issues together with empirical applications ranging from attendance to ZIP code analysis. No sports economist will want to be without this resource; all can enjoy and benefit from lucid, insightful applications of the "dismal science" to areas that are anything but dismal. Highly recommended." --Choice

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