Pay Dirt

by Quirk, James P.; Fort, Rodney D.

• ISBN13: 9780691015743
• ISBN10: 0691015740
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-03-17
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

Why would a Japanese millionaire want to buy the Seattle Mariners baseball team, when he has admitted that he has never played in or even seen a baseball game? Cash is the answer: major league baseball, like professional football, basketball, and hockey, is now big business with the potential to bring millions of dollars in profits to owners. Not very long ago, however, buying a sports franchise was a hazardous investment risked only by die-hard fans wealthy enough to lose parts of fortunes made in other businesses. What forces have changed team ownership from sports-fan folly to big-business savvy? Why hasThe Wall Street Journalbecome popular reading in pro sports locker rooms? And why are sports pages now dominated by economic clashes between owners and players, cities with franchises and cities without them, leagues and players' unions, and team lawyers and players' lawyers? In answering these questions, James Quirk and Rodney Fort have written the most complete book on the business and economics of professional sports, past and present. Pay Dirtoffers a wealth of information and analysis on the reserve clause, salary determination, competitive balance in sports leagues, the market for franchises, tax sheltering, arenas and stadiums, and rival leagues. The authors present an abundance of historical material, much of it new, including team ownership histories and data on attendance, TV revenue, stadium and arena contracts, and revenues and costs. League histories, team statistics, stories about players and owners, and sports lore of all kinds embellish the work. Quirk and Fort are writing for anyone interested in sports in the 1990s: players, players' agents, general managers, sportswriters, and, most of all, sports fans.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Preface
Introduction	p. 1
The Market for Sports Franchises	p. 23
Taxes, Taxes, and More Taxes	p. 88
Stadiums and Arenas	p. 125
The Reserve Clause and Antitrust Laws	p. 179
Why Do Pro Athletes Make So Much Money?	p. 209
Competitive Balance in Sports Leagues	p. 240
Rival Leagues and League Expansion: Baseball, Basketball, and Hockey	p. 294
Rival Leagues: The Great Football Wars	p. 333
Postscript	p. 363
Appendix to Chapter 3	p. 366
Appendix to Chapter 6	p. 369
Appendix to Chapter 8	p. 374
Data Supplement	p. 377
Ownership Histories	p. 378
Attendance Records	p. 479
Radio and Television Income	p. 505
Bibliography	p. 513
Index of Names	p. 531
Index of Court Cases	p. 538
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.