nep-spo New Economics Papers
on Sports and Economics
Issue of 2017‒07‒30
three papers chosen by
João Carlos Correia Leitão
Universidade da Beira Interior

  1. Take a Chance on ABBA By Cohen-Zada, Danny; Krumer, Alex; Shapir, Offer Moshe
  2. Consumer Perception and Comparative Analysis of sport shoes brand By Mit Shah
  3. Time devoted by elderly people to physical activities: micro-econometric evidence from Spain By Campaña, Juan Carlos

  1. By: Cohen-Zada, Danny (Ben Gurion University); Krumer, Alex (University of St. Gallen); Shapir, Offer Moshe (New York University Shanghai)
    Abstract: The order of actions in contests may generate different psychological effects which, in turn, may influence contestants' probabilities to win. The Prouhet-Thue-Morse sequence in which the first 'n' moves is the exact mirror image of the next 'n' moves should theoretically terminate any advantage to any of the contestants in a sequential pair-wise contest. The tennis tiebreak sequence of serves is the closest to the Prouhet-Thue-Morse sequence that one can find in real tournament settings. In a tiebreak between two players, A and B, the order of the first two serves (AB) is a mirror image of the next two serves (BA), such that the sequence of the first four serves is ABBA. Then, this sequence is repeated until one player wins the tiebreak. This sequence has been used not only in tennis, but also recently in the US TV presidential debates. In this study we analyse 1,701 men's and 920 women's tiebreak games from top-tier tournaments between the years 2012 to 2015. Using several different strategies to disentangle the effect of serving first from the effect of selection, we find that, for both genders, serving first does not have any significant effect on the winning probabilities of the two players, implying that the ABBA sequence is fair. We thus argue that it might be useful for other sports and contests in general to consider adopting the ABBA sequence in order to improve fairness.
    Keywords: fairness, performance, contest, sequence, tiebreak, tennis
    JEL: D00 L00 D20 Z20
    Date: 2017–07
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp10878&r=spo
  2. By: Mit Shah (Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University)
    Abstract: Indian economy has substantially changed in last 3 decades. The economic upliftment has given considerable purchasing power to Indian consumers. Now, Indian consumers are more inclined towards branded products. Specifically, youth is considerably influenced by the branding of the multinational companies in different product categories. This paper focuses on the comparison between marketing strategies of sports shoe brand i.e. Nike and Adidas in particular. Segmentation, Positioning and marketing mixes will be stated. Consumers perception while giving preferences to a particular brand will be told. Innovative market practices implemented by global brands as well as its influence on consumers will be stated. Consumers viewpoints will also be told. Lastly, conclusion and point of view from my side on comparative marketing strategy will be stated.
    Keywords: Consumers perception, Marketing strategy, Branding. Purchasing Power
    JEL: D40
    Date: 2017–07
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sek:iacpro:4607347&r=spo
  3. By: Campaña, Juan Carlos
    Abstract: In this paper, I analyse the differences in the time devoted to walking, cycling, gymnastics, and hunting by the elderly in Spain, considering own and socio-demographic characteristics. Using data from the Spanish Time-Use Survey (STUS) 2009-10, I estimate a simultaneous SUR model with data from the 4,036 individuals aged 65 years and over (inclusive), finding that men devote more time to the four physical activities than do women, that good health positively influences the time devoted to these activities, and that living in a large municipality positively influences the time devoted to walking, while living in a very large municipality negatively influences the time devoted to cycling. The work is important in terms of public policy, since inactive lifestyles are a major public health challenge, and an analysis of these activities may provide guidance toward better solutions. An increase in the frequency of physical activity in the Spanish population in this age range would lead to a significant reduction of health expenditure.
    Keywords: Elderly, Physical activities, Time use, SUR model
    JEL: J14 J22
    Date: 2017–07–26
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:80391&r=spo

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