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Does the Australian Football League Draft Undervalue Indigenous Australian Footballers?

Author

Listed:
  • Heather Mitchell

    (RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)

  • Constantino Stavros

    (RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)

  • Mark F. Stewart

    (RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, mark.stewart@rmit.edu.au)

Abstract

Economics assumes that behavior is based on rational expectations and market efficiency. However, previous research into professional sports indicates that there are cases where decisions are consistently made that do not conform to this. This article examines this issue within the context of how indigenous Australian footballers are recruited via the Australian Football League (AFL) draft. A panel data econometric model was used to look at the relationship between player performance and the expectations placed on these players when they were first drafted. The results show that, on average, indigenous Australian footballers outperform their expectations. Therefore, the question is ‘‘Why do AFL teams not draft more indigenous players?’’ Some of the reasons why teams may be averse to drafting such players are discussed, although we are unable to rule out irrationality as a possible explanation.

Suggested Citation

  • Heather Mitchell & Constantino Stavros & Mark F. Stewart, 2011. "Does the Australian Football League Draft Undervalue Indigenous Australian Footballers?," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 12(1), pages 36-54, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jospec:v:12:y:2011:i:1:p:36-54
    DOI: 10.1177/1527002510365051
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. L.F.M. Groot & J. Ferwerda, 2014. "Soccer jersey sponsors and the world cup," Working Papers 14-07, Utrecht School of Economics.
    2. Liam J. A. Lenten, 2017. "Racial discrimination in umpire voting: an (arguably) unexpected result," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(37), pages 3751-3757, August.
    3. Jemuel Chandrakumaran, 2020. "How Did the AFL National Draft Mitigate Perverse Incentives?," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 21(2), pages 139-151, February.
    4. Robert O Deaner & Aaron Lowen & Stephen Cobley, 2013. "Born at the Wrong Time: Selection Bias in the NHL Draft," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(2), pages 1-7, February.
    5. Jemuel Chandrakumaran, 2021. "The AFL Pick Trading Market as a Coasian Utopia," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 22(1), pages 75-84, January.
    6. Borland, Jeff & Lee, Leng & Macdonald, Robert D., 2011. "Escalation effects and the player draft in the AFL," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 371-380, June.

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