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Remembering the (College Football) Titans: Integrating College Football in the South

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  • Benjamin Posmanick

Abstract

Becker’s model of discrimination predicts that discriminating firms will have lower profitability due to discrimination. Therefore, a poorly-performing firm may choose to stop discriminating in an attempt to increase profitability. As predicted, using data on college football teams in the American South during the 1960s and 1970s, I find that worse teams, defined by their winning percentage or Associated Press ranking, tended to integrate sooner than better teams.

Suggested Citation

  • Benjamin Posmanick, 2025. "Remembering the (College Football) Titans: Integrating College Football in the South," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 26(8), pages 936-952, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:jospec:v:26:y:2025:i:8:p:936-952
    DOI: 10.1177/15270025251372894
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    References listed on IDEAS

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