A Market Test for Ethnic Discrimination in Major League Soccer

Craig Kerr

This paper tests for salary discrimination based on player ethnicities in Major League Soccer (MLS) with a market model. Particular focus is paid to Club Deportivo Chivas USA, which was operated by owners of a Mexican team that explicitly excludes non-Mexicans from their roster, Club Deportivo Guadalajara. Evidence of wage discrimination in MLS is found and the model is used to estimate how much of Chivas USA’s poor performance was due to discrimination.

doi.org/10.32731/IJSF.141.022019.02