Articles in this issue:

• From the Hardwood to the Gridiron to the Dorm: Influences on Attendance to Women’s Collegiate Basketball, pp. 3-22

  Craig A. Depken II

  Courtney Williams

  Dennis P. Wilson

  This paper provides an empirical analysis of attendance to Division I women’s collegiate basketball programs from 2000-2009. The evidence suggests that women’s basketball attendance is sensitive to many of the same variables known to influence attendance to men’s collegiate basketball, including current and recent team quality, recent post-season success, and school characteristics. We further investigate whether college football is a complement, a substitute, or an independent of women’s basketball on campus. Investigating complementarity is of practical importance as schools continue to...Read more

• Broadcast Rights and Competitive Balance in European Soccer, pp. 23-39

  Thomas Peeters

  Monopolization of broadcast rights for collective sales is a widespread practice in sports leagues. Proponents of this system claim that it is a necessary tool for the maintenance of competitive balance (tension) in sports. In this empirical paper, I argue that, in European soccer, collective sales do not increase competitive balance as compared to individual sales. Further, I demonstrate the negative effect of the UEFA Champions League and the beneficial effect of a more equal distribution of drawing power and a larger domestic market size on competitive balance. These results shed new...Read more

• Do Football Clubs Benefit from Initial Public Offerings?, pp. 40-59

  Dirk G. Baur

  Conor McKeating

  This study analyzes the effects of initial public offerings (IPO) on the performance of European football clubs. We use a unique panel dataset consisting of domestic and international performance data to investigate a football club’s on-field performance before and after going public. The study finds that the performance of football clubs does not improve on average with or after an IPO. Only football clubs in lower divisions benefit from a stock market listing. At the international level, there is no evidence of an improved performance associated with the IPO. The findings are consistent...Read more

• The Financial Consequences of Unbalanced Betting on NFL Games, pp. 60-71

  Brad R. Humphreys

  Previous research on point spread betting often assumed that bookmakers attract an equal volume of bets on either side of games in order to maximize profits. This paper examines the plausibility of this assumption. Financial simulations based on actual bet volumes on NFL games, point spreads, and game outcomes over the 2005-2008 NFL seasons indicate that unbalanced betting generated positive profits for book makers, including profits larger than would have been made if the betting volume was balanced on all games.Read more

• Defense Wins Championships? The Answer from the Gridiron, pp. 72-84

  John Robst

  Jennifer VanGilder

  David J. Berri

  Coby Vance

  Economists have offered a plethora of studies examining various aspects of professional team sports. Such studies, though, often neglect the playoffs. Given the impact the post-season has on league revenue, as well as the utility generated for both participants and observers of professional sports, such neglect misses much of the story people wish to tell about sports. In an era of free agency and salary caps, teams must determine the optimal strategy for maximizing their probability of success. Is the best offense a good defense, or does defense win championships? The purpose of this...Read more