Policy analysis in sport combined with a focused study on the
use of economic tools to analyze policy issues in professional
and amateur sports. The course applies microeconomic theory and
econometric data analyses to behavior in profit-making and not-
for-profit sports organizations and analyzes public investment
decisions in sport.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students: Graduate students will be responsible for completing an
additional paper analyzing the market power of North American
professional sports franchises.
Athena Title
Econ and Policy Analysis Sport
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in KINS 5560E or KINS 7560E
Prerequisite
KINS 3430 or KINS 3430E or ECON 4460/6460
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall and spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
Students successfully completing the course will be able to apply economic principles to policy decision making in sport.
Students successfully completing the course will be able to explain the unique economic structure of team sport leagues and resulting policy problems faced at the league level.
Students successfully completing the course will be able to apply the fundamentals of benefit-cost analysis to public and private decisions in sport.
Students successfully completing the course will be able to identify problems unique to professional sport and subject them to systematic and data driven analysis.
Students successfully completing the course will be able to formulate appropriate solutions to sport economic problems, drawing on formal analysis and case studies.
Students successfully completing the course will be able to discuss the role of the legal system and application of antitrust and labor law to sport and the resulting effect on labor markets and labor policy in professional sports.
Students successfully completing the course will be able to evaluate public investment in sports facilities.
Students successfully completing the course will be able to critique amateur sport policies and amateur sport intuitions.
Students successfully completing the course will be able to discuss the relationship between educational policy and sport.
Topical Outline
A. Economic Policy and Professional Team-Sports Leagues
1. Economic Models of Team-sports Leagues
2. Profit Maximization, Revenue Sharing, Competitive Balance
3. Legal Structure for League Organization
B. Organization of Individual Sport Competition
C. Labor Markets and Labor Policy in Sport
1. The Reserve Clause, Unions, Strikes, Collective Bargaining
2. Labor and Antitrust Issues, Salary Arbitration
3. Contracts and Performance
4. Race and Gender: Discrimination Policy in Sports
D. Public Finance of Sports
1. Basics of Benefit-Cost Analysis
2. Economic Value of Sports Franchises to a City or Region
3. Publicly Financed Stadium Controversy
4. Contingent Valuation Methods
E. Policy Choices in Amateur and College Sports
1. Intercollegiate Athletics and the Academic Community
2. Cartel Economics of the NCAA
3. Education and Sports Policy
4. International Amateur Sports
a. Olympic Games
b. Other International Amateur Sport Topics
