Fans of the World, Unite!
A (Capitalist) Manifesto for Sports Consumers
Published on 19. August 2008
Book
Hardback
232 pages
978-0-8047-5668-6 (ISBN)
Description
Fans of baseball, football, basketball, and hockey have long been exploited and oppressed by the monopolistic practices of team owners. The time has come for a revolution in the organization of major U.S. sports!
Fans of the World, Unite! is a clarion call to sports fans. Appealing to anyone who is in despair due to the greed and incompetence of team owners, this book proposes a significant restructuring of sports leagues. It sets out a rational program for a revolution that will serve the best interests of the fans and of the sport itself. But Stephen F. Ross and Stefan Szymanski are no Marxists: they show how a revolution in the organization of sports might even benefit the owners. By harnessing the power of markets, sports leagues can be made both more responsive to the needs of the fans, and more efficient.
Ross and Szymanski have spent many years evaluating the ways in which leagues work across the globe. Drawing on their extensive study of leagues, the authors boil down their plan to two major reforms. Borrowing from NASCAR, they propose that team owners should not own sports leagues as well. Rather, league ownership should be separate. Their second proposal is drawn from soccer: introduce competition through a promotion and relegation system. In this type of system, the worst teams in the league are kicked out at the end of the season and replaced by the best performing teams in the next division down. This gives poor performing teams incentive to step up their game, and allows fresh blood to enter the leagues if the poor performers fail to do so.
The main goal of these reforms is to align the financial interest of those who own the league with the best interests of the fans and the sport. Having laid out the problem and the solution, the authors skillfully address practical implications of introducing their scheme, suggesting how leagues might at least make some changes, if not all of those suggested.
The time for change has come! Armed with this book, and with fairness on their side, fans can set forth to begin a revolution.
Fans of the World, Unite! is a clarion call to sports fans. Appealing to anyone who is in despair due to the greed and incompetence of team owners, this book proposes a significant restructuring of sports leagues. It sets out a rational program for a revolution that will serve the best interests of the fans and of the sport itself. But Stephen F. Ross and Stefan Szymanski are no Marxists: they show how a revolution in the organization of sports might even benefit the owners. By harnessing the power of markets, sports leagues can be made both more responsive to the needs of the fans, and more efficient.
Ross and Szymanski have spent many years evaluating the ways in which leagues work across the globe. Drawing on their extensive study of leagues, the authors boil down their plan to two major reforms. Borrowing from NASCAR, they propose that team owners should not own sports leagues as well. Rather, league ownership should be separate. Their second proposal is drawn from soccer: introduce competition through a promotion and relegation system. In this type of system, the worst teams in the league are kicked out at the end of the season and replaced by the best performing teams in the next division down. This gives poor performing teams incentive to step up their game, and allows fresh blood to enter the leagues if the poor performers fail to do so.
The main goal of these reforms is to align the financial interest of those who own the league with the best interests of the fans and the sport. Having laid out the problem and the solution, the authors skillfully address practical implications of introducing their scheme, suggesting how leagues might at least make some changes, if not all of those suggested.
The time for change has come! Armed with this book, and with fairness on their side, fans can set forth to begin a revolution.
Reviews / Votes
"Fans of the World, Unite! serves as an outstanding work, which shows American sports fans what they can learn from organizations beyond MLB, NBA, NFL, and the NHL. This work has a unique and accessible style that will appeal to scholars, students, and professionals with an interest in sports economics and sports law." -David J. Berri, author of The Wages of Wins: Taking Measure of the Many Myths in Modern Sport "Fans of the World, Unite! puts forth a novel set of recommendations that reflect the theoretical work on sports leagues that has been published over the past few years. The book also benefits from blending the insights of a sports economist and a sports-law professor." -Daniel R. Marburger, Editor of Stee-rike Four! What's Wrong With the Business of Baseball? "Ross and Szymanski are two of the most experienced and creative minds working on sports law and business issues today. Fans of the World Unite challenges much of the conventional wisdom and suggests a more fan-friendly and efficient way to organize sporting leagues. This is a lively, controversial account that is sure to provoke fun and probing debate." -Andrew Zimbalist, Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics, Smith College, best-selling author and sports industry consultant "Fans of the World Unite! is fascinating reading that breaks new ground. Based on economic and historical research, this book provides an incisive analysis of the existing structure and governance of U.S. professional sport leagues, and the authors offer thoughtful, creative remedies to the perceived problems they identify. It is an original, thought-provoking contribution to the sports literature." Professor Matt Mitten, Director, National Sports Law Institute, Marquette University Law School "Ross and Szymanski have written an enjoyable and thoughtful book, using a clear, easy style to explain intricate issues and propose important reforms. Economists and sports fans alike will learn a lot-I did." -Tim Harford, author of The Undercover Economist and The Logic of Life "Two of the most respected sports academicians in the world offer what only academics can offer: a completely new way to structure sports leagues. Sports fans feel exploited; Ross and Szymanski demonstrate that they are and offer them a manifesto. Fans don't like the way that teams seem to lack competitive zeal in a given league? Add large prize payoffs to stodgy old leagues; force teams to earn their spot on major league rosters by demonstrating merit. These proposals are novel and controversial, so they will occupy sports wags for some time to come. I heartily recommend Fans of the World, Unite! to every reader who is interested in why it is that sports leagues seem to act in such peculiar ways, and who wonder what to do about it." -Rodney Fort, Sport Management, University of Michigan, author of Sports Economics "With real-life examples and solid research, the authors support their version of a sports utopia." -Publishers WeeklyMore details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Palo Alto
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
Cloth
Dimensions
Height: 237 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
494 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8047-5668-6 (9780804756686)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Stephen F. Ross is Professor of Law at the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law where he founded the Institute for Sports Law, Research, and Policy. Stefan Szymanski is the MBA Dean and Professor of Economics at Cass Business School at London's City University.
Content
Contents Chapter One: How Sports Fans Are Exploited A Sports Fans' Manifesto Our Book, in a Nutshell Sports and the Public Trust The Inefficient Monopolists Tax Subsidies and Restricted Entry Ticket Prices Television Blackouts Labor Market Restraints Operating the Club: Management and Ancillary Sales Chapter Two: The Diagnosis and Suggested Cure Our Two-Fold Remedy Conflict of Interests Between Interests of the League and Interest of the Owners Recognizing the Conflict: The Commissioner and Regulation of "Integrity" Issues Beyond the Commissioner Chapter Three: Competitive Balance Chapter Four: Borrowing from Nascar: An Independent Competition Organizer A primer on the Economics of "Contest Theory" NASCAR's Origins NASCAR's Development (a) The perception of the "stock car" race (b) Incentives for best performance (c) Sponsorships (d) Expanding national appeal (e) Television appeal Sleeping Dogs: The Absence of NASCAR Restraints on Entry and Labor Competition The Exception That Proves the Rule: Selection of Nextel Cup Sites A Few Caveats Chapter Five: Borrowing from Soccer--Entry by Merit Origins of the Structure of a "Closed" League Problems with the Closed League Format and Entry-by-Merit as a Solution How Entry-by-Merit Works in Soccer Origins of Entry-by-Merit in English Soccer Weighing Objections Objection #1: competitive imbalance Objection #2: quality of major league play Objection #3: feasibility Chapter Six: How a Restructured Sports League Would Work Setting It Up Who Does What? The Relationship Between the League and the Clubs Introducing Promotion and Relegation to The Major Leagues The Labor Market and Incentives TV and Media Ticket Prices Marketing Initiatives Chapter Seven: Comparing This Proposal to Other Remedies for Monopoly Power The Inadequacy of Antitrust Law to Protect Sports Fans Direct Government Regulation Break Up the Monopoly Leagues Potential Need for Additional Regulation Continuing Application of Antitrust Laws to Re-structured Sports Entities Chapter Eight: Half-Loaf, Still-an-Improvement Compromise Suggestions The Limits to Voluntary Reform The Commission System The Commissioner as the "Coase-buster" Commissioner as Volunteer Cheerleader Chapter Nine: Conclusion: Fans, What We Can Imagine! The Case of the Frustrated Billionaire The Case of the Compromising Monopolist The Case of Mayors with Backbone The Case of the Fed-Up Commissioner The Case of the Imperialist Media Baron The Case of Fans Arising Notes Index