Economics of Professional Team Sports

Do dominant teams kill public interest in professional sport? Do spectators relish close contests and unpredictable results? Are sports stars overpaid? Will recent changes to sports broadcasting undermine the traditional organisation of professional team sports? To address these and other issues, Paul Downward and Alistair Dawson offer a detailed survey of the economic literature on sporting leagues, the demand for professional team sports and the players' labour market. Amongst the topics discussed are the US system of franchising and draft picks and the chances of their being adopted elsewhere, the implications of player strikes, the onset of pay-per-view and digital television, and the relatively new notion that sport is a business like any other. This book is unique in that it constitutes the first truly rigorous application of economic principles to its subject. It will be of great interest to students and practioners within the field of sports and leisure economies.Downward, Paul is the author of 'Economics of Professional Team Sports' with ISBN 9780415208741 and ISBN 0415208742.