The Economics of Competitive Sports (Hardcover)

True to their title, Rodriguez, Kesenne, and Koning assemble a top-notch cast to delve broadly and deeply into The Economics of Competitive Sports. There is something here for everybody, from the organization of competition (tournaments; federations; rival leagues), to its results (competitive balance; career durations; medals), to its challenges (club survival; fan misbehavior). Anyone interested in solid and insightful economic analysis of sports competition should have this one on their shelf.' - Rodney Fort, University of Michigan, US'This volume makes an important contribution to the growing academic literature on the economics of sports, focusing especially on the organization of sporting contests, and the interplay between incentives, efforts and rewards in sports competition. The book will be an essential resource for any academics, students, practitioners or policy makers who are engaged with the economic analysis of sport.' - John Goddard, Bangor University, UK Competition is the very essence of professional sports, yet how do we measure it? Has the level of competition changed over time? Can organizers influence the degree of competition, for example, by changing rewards? How does the audience appreciate competition? The Economics of Competitive Sports examines and addresses these questions. This volume presents a state-of-the-art overview of the economics of competitive sport with contributions from leading experts in the field. The initial chapters present a discussion of the organization of sports and competition, exploring how leagues form, operate and compete. The second part of the book deals with the competition, rewards and outcomes of actual organized leagues and contests. Competitive balance and responses to incentives are covered extensively. Academics, policymakers and students seeking an in-depth and practical understanding of the economics of competition in sport will find this volume indispensable. Contributors include: J. Achterhof, M. Andreff, W. Andreff, X.G. Che, J. del Corral, D. Forrest, B. Frick, P. Garcia-del-Barrio, C. Green, B.R. Humphreys, S. Kesenne, R. Koning, I.G. McHale, J. Prieto-Rodriguez, F. Pujol, P. Rodriguez, I. Sanz, F. Scheel, R. Simmons, S. Szymanski, J.D. Tena, F. Tenreiro, C. Varela-Quintana