Why does the sport industry operate as it does?
Why do governments in some countries directly support sport programs, facilities, and athletes, while other governments do not?
Why does a pair of basketball shoes cost $150?
Why can some sport organizations operate as monopolists to sell their television rights?
Economics of Sport ventures beyond other texts to include global sports, youth sports, recreational sports, the sporting good industry, and sport outside the boundaries of the United States—in addition to "big-time" sports such as professional football, baseball, basketball, and hockey—in its discussion of sport economics.
Written for students with some exposure to economic concepts and analysis, Economics of Sport is ideal for a lower division elective course for economics majors, for master's students in sport management, or for economics professors who are in the process of learning more about the sport industry.
In its 12 chapters, Economics of Sport defines the sport industry and reviews economic concepts before examining central issues such as benefits and costs; the theory of the firm; profit maximization as a major motivator and alternative motivators; elasticity of demand and supply; market structures from perfect competition to monopolies; labor-related issues; government sport, community sport and private enterprise; government and industry self-regulation; antitrust laws; and sport as a global industry. The last two chapters of Economics of Sport look at sport as a global industry and assess how economic systems affect sport governance in the world, the reasons for international expansion, the sport club systems used around the world, and the increased internationalization of sport business activities. Economics of Sport also examines the technological advances and demographic changes that influence demand, as well as the changing labor markets around the world.
