Decline of Portsmouth… and the English PL
News reports in England imply that Portsmouth Football Club of the English Premier League, perhaps the richest league in world soccer, is within days of …
Untying the Tied Good
The NFL’s Washington Redskins have announced they will now accept any Mastercard to pay for tickets to their games, as Eric McErlain quotes from the …
Parity vs. Dominance in MLS
In an interesting recent interview, former U.S. Soccer national team coach Bruce Arena talks about competitive balance in Major League Soccer. While we sports economists …
Go Big Red! Or is it Stay Big Red?
The Big 12 has reportedly given an ultimatum to Nebraska (and Missouri) to decide if they are going to board the Big 12 plane or …
NFLPA: "Fantasy Sports Must Pay — On Two"
In a preemptive move, CBS has launched a court case, claiming pressure and a likely suit from the NFLPA regarding use of players’ names and …
Soccer, and Hell Freezing Over
A couple of weeks ago, my undergraduate seminar engaged in a discussion of Michael Allen Gillespie’s excellent essay “Players and Spectators: Sports and Ethical Training …
Unfair Labor Practices
The NHL has filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. Here is an ESPN.com story. Here’s a Washington Post story. …
Information, Reputation, and the Impact of College Athletics: My story about TCU
[Note: this was originally posted at EclectEcon, but Phil urged me to cross post it here. I’ve revised it slightly.] Way back in the days …
MLB Closers — Role Players with Rock Star Reputations
In 1988 for the Oakland Athletics, Tony LaRussa initiated his strategy of using Dennis Eckersley as a 9th inning, only-when-leading relief pitcher – a “closer.” …
Frustrated With the Big XII Bowl Selection Process?
“Frustrated.” “Slighted.” “Snubbed.” Those awords describe the feelings many Missouri fans, adminstrators, players, and coaches have towards Mizzou’s selection to play Navy in the 2008 …