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Freedom of Entry, Market Size, and Competitive Outcome: Evidence from English Soccer

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  • Babatunde Buraimo
  • David Forrest
  • Robert Simmons

Abstract

A primary prediction of the theory of sports leagues is that teams with higher revenues will have higher league positions or winning percentages than teams with smaller revenues. Behind this prediction lies the key influence of market size, yet this has been underexplored in the empirical literature on sports leagues. This paper combines detailed census of population data with panel data on team performance for an open sports league, the English Football League, to test the hypothesis that market size matters for team performance. We find a particularly important role for population close to the team's location. The impact of local population is reduced but not eliminated when allowance is made for entry in the form of competition from neighboring clubs. We assess implications of these findings for both European and North American sports league structures.

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  • Babatunde Buraimo & David Forrest & Robert Simmons, 2007. "Freedom of Entry, Market Size, and Competitive Outcome: Evidence from English Soccer," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 74(1), pages 204-213, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:soecon:v:74:y:2007:i:1:p:204-213
    DOI: 10.1002/j.2325-8012.2007.tb00834.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Babatunde Buraimo & Rob Simmons & Stefan Szymanski, 2010. "English Football," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Football Economics and Policy, chapter 8, pages 162-181, Palgrave Macmillan.
    2. David J. Berri & Martin B. Schmidt & Stacey L. Brook, 2004. "Stars at the Gate," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 5(1), pages 33-50, February.
    3. Martin B. Schmidt & David J. Berri, 2001. "Competitive Balance and Attendance," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 2(2), pages 145-167, May.
    4. Stefan Szymanski, 2010. "A Market Test for Discrimination in the English Professional Soccer Leagues," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Football Economics and Policy, chapter 6, pages 136-150, Palgrave Macmillan.
    5. Stefan Szymanski & Ron Smith, 2010. "The English Football Industry: Profit, Performance and Industrial Structure," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Football Economics and Policy, chapter 1, pages 1-26, Palgrave Macmillan.
    6. Scully, Gerald W, 1974. "Pay and Performance in Major League Baseball," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 64(6), pages 915-930, December.
    7. David Forrest & Robert Simmons & Patrick Feehan, 2002. "A Spatial Cross–Sectional Analysis of Elasticity of Demand for Soccer," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 49(3), pages 336-356, August.
    8. John D. Burger & Stephen J. K. Walters, 2003. "Market Size, Pay, and Performance," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 4(2), pages 108-125, May.
    9. Stefan Kesenne, 2000. "Revenue Sharing and Competitive Balance in Professional Team Sports," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 1(1), pages 56-65, February.
    10. David Forrest & Robert Simmons & Babatunde Buraimo, 2005. "Outcome Uncertainty And The Couch Potato Audience," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 52(4), pages 641-661, September.
    11. El-Hodiri, Mohamed & Quirk, James, 1971. "An Economic Model of a Professional Sports League," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 79(6), pages 1302-1319, Nov.-Dec..
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    1. Andy Barlow & David Forrest, 2015. "Benefits to their Communities from Small Town Professional Football Clubs," National Institute Economic Review, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, vol. 232(1), pages 18-29, May.
    2. Thomas Cristofaro Warrener & Carlos Eduardo da Gama Torres & Igor Viveiros Melo Souza, 2022. "The relationship between financial and sporting performance of professional football clubs: empirical evidence from brazilian football," Textos para Discussão Cedeplar-UFMG 641, Cedeplar, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.
    3. Christopher Huth & Markus Kurscheidt, 2022. "Season Ticketing as a Risk Management Tool in Professional Team Sports: A Pricing Analysis of German Soccer and Basketball," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-18, September.
    4. Dirk Semmelroth & Bernd Frick & Robert Simmons & Hojun Sung, 2022. "Where to Go Next? Examining the Effect of Franchise Expansion and Location on Game-Level Attendance in Major League Soccer," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 23(5), pages 524-547, June.
    5. Justin Doran & Declan Jordan, 2018. "The effect of geographical proximity and rivalry on performance: evidence from the English Football League," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(11), pages 1559-1569, November.
    6. Terry Robinson, 2012. "Dyed in the wool? An empirical note on fan loyalty," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(8), pages 979-985, March.

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