We analyze the effect of national diversity on sports team performance. Due to language barriers, we expect the team's productivity to decrease with the number of nationalities, but that the introduction of further nations and further aspects of different cultures might lead to additional skills...

Superstars in European football are exceptionally talented and enjoy celebrity status. While second-tier stars, i.e., players barely below superstar status, lack popularity, their marginal contribution to team performance on the pitch relative to that of superstars is unknown. Relying on...