THE BIG SALE IS ON! TELL ME MORE
James Quirk, until his retirement, was Professor of Economics at the California Institute of Technology. Rodney Fort is Professor of Economics at Washington State University. Together, Quirk and Fort wrote Pay Dirt: The Business of Professional Team Sports (Princeton).
In their book, Hard Ball, James Quirk and Rodney Fort take the sports industry to task with a well-conceived and clearly rendered brief on the economics behind professional sports. The authors use a methodical but vigorous approach to examine the groups--the media, unions, players, owners, leagues and local politicians--that make up the pro-sports complex... In the end, the authors blame all of pro sports' ills--from player salaries to TV contracts to sweetheart stadium deals--on monopoly. And their solution is a radical one: Like a pair of trust-busting Teddy Roosevelts, the authors would have the Department of Justice ride into the fray and carve up each of the leagues into three or four separate entities. -- Jonathan V. Last Washington Times A significant contribution ... The authors also provide a fascinating glimpse at the history of sports revenue issues ... a readable, even chatty, dissection of our games from a valuable point of view. -- Paul Chapin Elysian Fields Quarterly An interesting look into the world of professional athletics... [A] fresh perspective on an industry increasingly scrutinized and under fire. -- Lane Hartill The Christian Science Monitor A gem of clear analysis and argument... [E]ssential reading for everyone. -- Katherine A. Powers The Boston Globe
