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Rottenberg and the Economics of Sport after 50 Years: An Evaluation

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  • Sloane, Peter J.

    (Swansea University)

Abstract

Simon Rottenberg’s seminal 1956 article in the Journal of Political Economy, 1956, is generally accepted as the starting point for the development of the economics of sport. While he recognised that certain features of professional sports leagues were unusual he saw little reason to treat this industry any differently from a conventional industry. He discusses the importance of uncertainty of outcome, the monopsonistic nature of the labour market, the nature of the product and demand (attendances). He considers alternatives to the reserve clause, such as equal revenue sharing, maximum salary limits, equal market franchise distribution and roster limits. Each of these is rejected in favour of a free market solution which, on the basis of the invariance principle, he suggests will perform just as well as the reserve clause in allocating talent to where it is most productive. The ensuing literature has focused on all these issues, many of which have created considerable debate amongst sports economists. In particular the assumption of profit maximisation has been challenged and a divergence of views, reflected in the so-called North American and European models of sports leagues has emerged. Over the last 50 years sports leagues have expanded, TV markets have opened up and legal challenges to existing practices have multiplied. This paper seeks to evaluate Rottenberg’s contribution to a rapidly expanding field and to judge its relevance today.

Suggested Citation

  • Sloane, Peter J., 2006. "Rottenberg and the Economics of Sport after 50 Years: An Evaluation," IZA Discussion Papers 2175, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
  • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp2175
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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Americans are right - soccer is a ridiculous game
      by YouNotSneaky! in YouNotSneaky on 2008-06-13 02:35:00

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    Cited by:

    1. Oliver Budzinski & Janina Satzer, 2011. "Sports Business and Multisided Markets: Towards a New Analytical Framework? (Long Version)," Working Papers 1104, International Association of Sports Economists;North American Association of Sports Economists.
    2. Oliver Budzinski & Janina Satzer, 2008. "Sports Business and the Theory of Multisided Markets," MAGKS Papers on Economics 200811, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    3. Rooth, Dan-Olof, 2011. "Work out or out of work -- The labor market return to physical fitness and leisure sports activities," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 399-409, June.
    4. António Sérgio Ribeiro & Francisco Lima & Sascha Kraus & Ferran Calabuig, 2022. "Tournaments within football teams: players’ performance and wages," Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(1), pages 4884-4901, December.
    5. Scelles, Nicolas (Сели, Николя) & Duran, Christophe (Дюра, Кристоф) & Bonnal, Liliane (Бонналь, Лилиан) & Goyeau, Daniel (Гойюс, Даниэль) & Andreff, Wladimir (Андрефф, Владимир), 2016. "Do all sporting prizes have a significant positive impact on attendance in a European national football league? Competitive intensity in the French Ligue 1 [Действительно Ли Все Спортивные Призы Ок," Ekonomicheskaya Politika / Economic Policy, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, vol. 3, pages 82-107, June.
    6. Pfeifer, Christian & Cornelißen, Thomas, 2010. "The impact of participation in sports on educational attainment--New evidence from Germany," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 94-103, February.
    7. Martin Grossmann & Helmut Dietl & Markus Lang, 2010. "Revenue Sharing and Competitive Balance in a Dynamic Contest Model," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 36(1), pages 17-36, February.
    8. Dorian Owen, 2014. "Measurement of competitive balance and uncertainty of outcome," Chapters, in: John Goddard & Peter Sloane (ed.), Handbook on the Economics of Professional Football, chapter 3, pages 41-59, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    9. Patrice Bouvet, 2020. "L'économie du sport professionnel par équipe en Europe : production, monétisation, déficit et régulation Patrice BOUVET," Working Papers hal-02515012, HAL.
    10. Patrick Massey & Shane Massey & Vincent (Vincent Peter) Hogan, 2012. "Analysing Determinants of Match Attendance in the European Rugby Cup," Working Papers 201228, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    11. Wladimir Andreff, 2018. "Financial and Sporting Performance in French Football Ligue 1: Influence on the Players’ Market," Post-Print hal-03206972, HAL.
    12. Raul Caruso & Ilaria Verri, 2009. "Competitive Balance dopo la sentenza Bosman: il caso della pallavolo in Italia," Rivista di Diritto ed Economia dello Sport, Centro di diritto e business dello Sport, vol. 5(1), pages 59-79, Maggio.
    13. Roger Noll, 2006. "Sports Economics at Fifty," Discussion Papers 06-011, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research.
    14. Giovanni Bernardo & Massimo Ruberti & Roberto Verona, 2022. "Image is everything! Professional football players' visibility and wages: evidence from the Italian Serie A," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(5), pages 595-614, January.
    15. Wladimir Andreff, 2018. "Financial and Sporting Performance in French Football Ligue 1: Influence on the Players’ Market," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) hal-03206972, HAL.
    16. Wladimir Andreff, 2018. "Financial and Sporting Performance in French Football Ligue 1: Influence on the Players’ Market," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-17, November.
    17. Andreef, Wladimir (Андрефф, Владимир), 2016. "French professional football in European context: how much different? [Французский Профессиональный Футбол В Европейском Контексте: Насколько Велики Отличия?]," Economic Policy, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, vol. 3, pages 108-137, June.
    18. Alexander John Bond & Francesco Addesa, 2020. "Competitive Intensity, Fans’ Expectations, and Match-Day Tickets Sold in the Italian Football Serie A, 2012-2015," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 21(1), pages 20-43, January.
    19. Bernd Frick, 2007. "The Football Players' Labor Market: Empirical Evidence From The Major European Leagues," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 54(3), pages 422-446, July.
    20. Marco Di Domizio & Mattia Palombini, 2011. "Competitività orizzontale e verticale nel ciclismo professionistico: alcune riflessioni sul circuito pro tour," Rivista di Diritto ed Economia dello Sport, Centro di diritto e business dello Sport, vol. 6(3), pages 35-54, Febbraio.
    21. Rappai Gábor & Fűrész Diána Ivett, 2018. "Handling heteroskedasticity in labour demand functions of athletes," Croatian Review of Economic, Business and Social Statistics, Sciendo, vol. 4(2), pages 47-56, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    monopsony; monopoly power; sport;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J0 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General
    • L0 - Industrial Organization - - General
    • L8 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services

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