Including an array of distinguished contributors, this novel book fills a gap in the literature by addressing an important, yet under-researched, issue in the field of sports economics. It places great emphasis on the notion that sport is a significant component for improving the happiness, health and well-being of citizens, communities and society as a whole. In so doing, it addresses whether, in an environment of increasing pressure on public spending, governments should continue to subsidize sporting activities at the expense of other public resources.

This revised and updated edition of The Economic Theory of Professional Team Sports elaborates on the themes of the successful first edition of this book. In particular, the chapters on product and player labour markets are completely rewritten, with more attention paid to sport and the media, aspects of welfare economics and the specification of well-behaved club revenue functions. It will be required reading for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in sports economics.

The essence of any sports contest is competition. The very unpredictability of a sporting outcome distinguishes it from, say, an opera performance. This volume presents a state of the art overview of the economics of competitive sport along two main themes. In the first part, the discussion centers on the organization of sports and competition. The second part deals with the competitive balance, rewards and outcomes of the actual contests.

This revised and updated edition of The Economic Theory of Professional Team Sports elaborates on the themes of the successful first edition of this book. In particular, the chapters on product and player labour markets are completely rewritten, with more attention paid to sport and the media, aspects of welfare economics and the specification of well-behaved club revenue functions. It will be required reading for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in sports economics.

Offering a cutting-edge analysis of competitive balance and outcome uncertainty, this book explores the topic from multiple perspectives. Chapters address competitive balance and outcome uncertainty in different sports in a range of countries to help to understand its significance. Highlighting important new insights into previously unexplored dimensions, the book also provides a rich context for better understanding why fans, teams and leagues value competitive balance. It challenges readers to think about the topic in a broad and rigorous way, and in some cases to question widely held...