The International Journal of Sport Finance (IJSF)

Volume: 8
Issue: 4
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Articles in this issue:

  • David J. Berri
    Martin B. Schmidt

    Kickers in the NFL have two jobs. The first is kicking off. The second is scoring via field goal attempts and extra points. Of these two actions, the latter’s impact on outcomes is most easily observed. Decision-makers should be able to go beyond simple visual observation and evaluate actions in terms of their impact on outcomes. Consistent with past research in baseball and basketball, though, we find evidence that decision-makers undervalue the factor that is hardest to visually connect to outcomes.Read more

  • Brad R. Humphreys

    This issue presents a symposium containing a selection of papers from the fourth annual ESEA conference, identified based on input from the editors of the IJSF and the ESEA. All papers in this issue were peer reviewed and subject to the same standards as regular submissions to the IJSF.Read more

  • Nicolas Scelles
    Boris Helleu
    Christophe Durand
    Liliane Bonnal

    Since the beginning of the nineties, professional sports firm values have been estimated by American newspapers. In 2004, Forbes proposed for the first time a list of the most valuable European soccer teams. In this article, we compare the determinants of firm values in MLB, the NBA, NFL, NHL, and European soccer over the period 2004-2011. The results show only one variable for which the sign and significance are the same for all the leagues: historical sports performance, with a significantly positive impact in each league. The comparison between the United States and Europe reveals that...Read more

  • Brad R. Humphreys
    Rodney J. Paul
    Andrew P. Weinbach

    Betting strategies based on the presence of home-underdog bias in the NFL have been shown to produce returns in excess of those predicted by market efficiency in some situations. Dare and Dennis (2011) attribute this bias to bettors underestimating the scoring ability of home underdogs. Using a more recent sample of data, we find contradictory results. We challenge the assumptions of the Dare and Dennis (2011) model and use detailed betting data to offer an alternative rationale for the homeunderdog bias. We illustrate that bettors have clear and predictable tendencies for betting on the...Read more

  • Rodney J. Paul
    Andrew P. Weinbach

    Fireworks are a very popular promotion for Minor League Baseball teams. In recent years, fireworks displays have moved beyond holidays to a frequent staple on promotional schedules throughout the baseball season. With increased frequency, the possibility exists that the market for fireworks may become saturated. This paper examines the 2011 season for AAA and AA baseball and finds, controlling for other factors influencing attendance, that increased usage of fireworks does not generate overly detrimental effects in terms of its marginal impact on attendance. Fans appear to continue to...Read more

  • Jens Flatau
    Eike Emrich

    The German elite sport training system contains both decentralized and centralized elements. Following Williamson’s (1975) transaction cost economics, we test the thesis that the optimal institutions of governance in the production of sporting success depend on the asset specificity. A comparison of graduates of elite sport schools (ESS) with others shows ESS attendance influences success in high asset specificity settings. The results provide information about how the productivity of elite sport training systems can be increased by setting the priorities of centralized organization on...Read more