nep-spo New Economics Papers
on Sports and Economics
Issue of 2010‒04‒04
four papers chosen by
Joao Carlos Correia Leitao
University of Beira Interior and Technical University of Lisbon

  1. The Returns to Scarce Talent: Footedness and Player Remuneration in European Soccer By Alex Bryson; Frick, B. and Simmons, R.
  2. Red Cards: Not Such Bad News For Penalized Guest Teams By Mechtel, Mario; Brändle, Tobias; Stribeck, Agnes; Vetter, Karin
  3. Race and Survival Bias in NBA Data By Peter A. Groothuis; James Richard Hill
  4. An Economic Model of the Evolution of the Gender Performance Ratio in Individual Sports By Dupuy, Arnaud

  1. By: Alex Bryson; Frick, B. and Simmons, R.
    Abstract: We investigate the salary returns to the ability to play football with both feet. The majority of footballers are predominantly right footed. Using two data sets, a cross-section of footballers in the five main European leagues and a panel of players in the German Bundesliga, we find robust evidence of a substantial salary premium for two-footed ability, even after controlling for available player performance measures. We assess how this premium varies across the salary distribution and by player position.
    Date: 2009–09
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nsr:niesrd:339&r=spo
  2. By: Mechtel, Mario; Brändle, Tobias; Stribeck, Agnes; Vetter, Karin
    Abstract: A popular soccer myth states that teams affected by a sending-off perform better than they would have performed without the penalty. Based on economic theory, we analyze the course of soccer matches using data from the German Bundesliga from 1999 to 2009. The results show that sending-offs affecting home teams have a negative impact on their performance. However, for guest teams the impact of a sending-off on their performance depends on the time remaining after the sending-off. Thus, the "ten do it better" myth seems to hold for guest teams to a certain extent.
    Keywords: soccer; team performance; red card; sending-off; Bundesliga
    JEL: J01 M12 L83 M50
    Date: 2010–03
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:21430&r=spo
  3. By: Peter A. Groothuis; James Richard Hill
    Abstract: Cross sectional employment data is not random. Workers who survive to a longer level of tenure tend to have a higher level of productivity than those who exit earlier. Wage equations that use cross sectional data could be biased from the over sampling of high productive workers at long levels of tenure. The survival bias that arises in cross sectional data could possibly bias the coefficients in wage equations. This could lead to false positive conclusions concerning the presence of pay discrimination. Using 1989-2008 NBA data we explore the extent of survival bias in wage regressions in a setting in which worker productivity is extremely well documented through a variety of statistical measures. We then examined whether the survival bias affects the conclusions concerning racial pay discrimination. Key Words: NBA, survival bias, pay discrimination
    JEL: J4 J7
    Date: 2010
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:apl:wpaper:10-04&r=spo
  4. By: Dupuy, Arnaud (ROA, Maastricht University)
    Abstract: This paper shows that the gender world record ratio in four disciplines, i.e. marathon, triple jump, pole vault and 800 meters, follows an S-shape over time. It is argued that this pattern is initiated by a sudden drop in the social barrier for women to participate in these disciplines. This drop in social barrier materializes – later – by the authorization for women to participate at major events, such as the Olympic Games, in these disciplines. The paper builds a simple economic model of sector self-selection and human capital accumulation with intrinsic disutility (social barriers) to participate in some sectors. As social barriers are removed in a sector, the Gender Performance Ratio is shown to follow an S-shape over time under very basic assumptions and calibrations. Ability self-selection, measured as the difference between mean ability of women in that sector and population mean, becomes more positive after removal of the social barrier.
    Keywords: gender performance ratio, sector self-selection, human capital investments
    JEL: J16 J7 N32
    Date: 2010–03
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp4838&r=spo

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