Contents for IJSF Issue 13:2
| IJFS 13:2 Authors: Jadrian Wooten, Panagiotis E. Dimitropoulos, Antonios K. Travlos, & Stylianos Panagiotopoulos, Paul M. Holmes, Rob Simmons and David J. Berri, Stephanie Kiefer and Katrin Scharfenkamp, Thadeu Gasparetto and Angel Barajas |
| Abstract:International Journal of Sport Finance, Volume 13, No. 2, May 2018. |
| Rivalries in U.S. Professional Soccer Authors: Jadrian Wooten |
| Abstract:This paper investigates factors that contribute to attendance in Major League Soccer with a primary focus on the effect of repeat rivalry matches during a season. Using ordinary least squares, a panel of 2,193 matches (6 seasons) finds significant effects of a variety of match determinants, including how rivalries are defined in the estimation. With an increased focus on creating rivalries, the data supports potential diminishing returns from overscheduling of rivalry matches. Fans and leagues appear to place a high value on scheduling rivalry matches, however it appears these impacts are relatively short-sighted and are not consistent across each rivalry match during the season. Numerous other factors at the club and league’s discretion may provide larger impacts for leagues with a primary goal of increasing attendance. |
| Migration and Football Player Market Value: Evidence from Greece Authors: Panagiotis E. Dimitropoulos, Antonios K. Travlos & Stylianos Panagiotopoulos |
| Abstract:The scope of this study was to examine the determinant factors of young football players’ market values and whether the migration constitutes a significant variable which enhances players’ annual valuation. A database of all young migrant and local athletes that participated in the professional Greek football championship over the period 2008-2013 was utilized. Descriptive evidence revealed that migrant athletes had higher annual market values and were given higher participation chances com-pared to local football players. Instrumental variable regression analyses revealed that football match appearances were more significant determinants of market value for native athletes relative to migrant athletes. This effect was more intense for the native athletes who were utilized less by their coaches in terms of actual minutes of participation in official games. |
| Moneyball and the Baseball Players’ Labor Market Authors: Paul M. Holmes, Rob Simmons and David J. Berri |
| Abstract:Michael Lewis’s best-selling book, Moneyball, demonstrated the efforts of Oakland A’s General Manager, Billy Beane, to create a successful baseball team in spite of its location in a small market. Previous studies have argued that the salary returns to the neglected skill of on base percentage (OBP) should rise once the Oakland A’s hitters demonstrated proficiency with this skill. Our key result is that after Moneyball was published in 2003, hitter salaries for free agents signing new contracts were not more closely related to OBP. Consistent with efficiency, we find no long-term change in valuation in OBP. In contrast, we do find evidence of a rise in salary returns to productivity in the form of bases per hit (“power hitting”) but this again is consistent with efficient market adjustment. In sum, it appears the labor market for hitters in baseball was efficient both before and after the appearance of Moneyball. |
| Does Online Media Put Beauty Before Performance? The Impact of Physical Attractiveness on the Popularity of Female Tennis Players in Online Media Authors: Stephanie Kiefer and Katrin Scharfenkamp |
| Abstract:Discussions about the impact of physical attractiveness on the popularity of competitive athletes have received much attention from scholars and the worldwide media. We provide new insights into this debate, and draw managerial implications by estimating OLS and Tobit regressions to test whether and to what extent the physical attractiveness of professional female tennis players affects (changes in) their popularity in online media. Based on a sample of the top 100 Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) single ranking of one selected calendar week in 2011 and 2012, we find that physical attractiveness significantly increases the popularity on Facebook, SI.com, and Google, as well as the change in online popularity for Facebook and WTA news. Nevertheless, a tennis player’s performance has a larger effect on online popularity than physical attractiveness. |
| The Determinants of Sporting Success in the Brazilian Football League Authors: Thadeu Gasparetto and Angel Barajas |
| Abstract:The determinants of sporting success in Olympic Games and international football have been analysed. Nevertheless, few studies are found on football club-level. The aim of this paper is to identify the determinants of sporting success at professional club-level studying the Brazilian League. The dataset comprises all 30 football clubs that competed in the First Division of the Brazilian League from 2010 to 2014. The econometric approach consists in an ordered logit regression. The dependent variable is the final position of each club. The findings reveal that team payroll, placement in a city with higher standard of living, the number of previous participations and a current title in the State Championships maximize the likelihood of success. How-ever, the number of players used negatively affects the sporting performance. The peculiarities of Brazilian football are used to discuss the findings. Further papers on European football are recommended as some determinants could vary. |
