This work uses economic theory, simple probability, statistical concepts and game theory to analyze the economics of professional sports. Many key issues that have sparked raging arguments among fans and writers are addressed, including free agency's effect on competitive balance, how rising...

Major League Baseball faced increased competition from radio broadcasts and improvements in motion pictures during the 1920s and 1930s. The "Roaring Twenties" were followed by the Great Depression. As social norms changed, some owners fought for the right to stage home games on Sundays. Owners...

Today's National Basketball Association commands millions of spectators worldwide, and its many franchises are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. But the league wasn't always so successful or glamorous: in the 1940s and 1950s, the NBA and its predecessor, the Basketball Association of...