Course Syllabus
Course Number:
ECO 325
Course Title:
Sports Economics
Credits:
(3:3)
Prerequisites/Co-requisites:
ECO 101 or ECO 201
For Whom Planned:
All undergraduates who satisfy the
prerequisites
Instructor Information:
Stephen K. Layson, PhD
457 Bryan Building,
Office Hours TTH 10-12,
334-4868, (phone),
sklayson@uncg.edu
Catalog Description:
Economic theory of sports leagues:
competitive balance, player labor
markets and owner capital markets.
Theories of league expansion, rival
leagues, franchise relocation and
sports venue.
Student Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the course you should be able to:
1. Discuss the role of sports in our society. (Exam one and homework one
will cover this SLO.)
2. Analyze aspects of sports using the tools of supply and demand. (Exam 1
and homework 1 will cover this SLO.)
3. Solve for the ticket price that maximizes profit given the market demand
for a sporting event. (Exam 1 and homework 2 will cover this SLO.)
4. Discuss the role of antitrust laws in sports leagues. (Exam 1 will cover
this SLO.)
5. Discuss the importance of competitive balance in sports leagues. (Exam 1
will cover this SLO.)
6. Analyze the costs and benefits of a sports franchise to a city. (Exam 2
will cover this SLO.)
7. Discuss various aspects of labor markets in sports. (The final exam and
homework 3 will cover this SLO.)
8. Discuss the book Moneyball by Michael Lewis. (Homework 4 and the
final exam will cover this SLO.)
The final exam will cover many, if not all, of these SLOs.
TEACHING METHODS AND ASSIGNMENTS FOR ACHIEVING
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students should first read the assigned chapters in the textbook before the
class lectures. The lectures will reinforce and extend the textbook
discussion. The students are also encouraged to do the textbook exercises at
the end of each chapter to help prepare for the midterm and final exams.
Additionally, there will be weekly short quizzes to provide continual
feedback on how well the students are learning the material.
1) Weekly unannounced quizzes will cumulatively count for 10% of
your final grade. The two lowest quiz scores are dropped. Missed
quizzes cannot be made up even in cases of illness.
2) Weekly homework assignments count for 20% of your grade.
3) There will be 2 hourly in- class exams each counting for 20% of your
final grade.
4) The final exam given on May 6, 8-11 AM, Bryan 111, counts for 30%
of your final grade.
EVALUATION AND GRADING
The following grading scale will be used for the paper and all quizzes,
the hourly exams and the final exam.
A+
A
AB+
B
B-
98-100%
93-97%
90-92%
87-89%
83-86%
80-82%
C+
C
CD+
D
D-
77-79%
73-76%
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
F
0-59%
REQUIRED TEXTS:
The Economics of Sports, third or fourth edition, by Michael A. Leeds and
Peter von Allmen, Addison Wesley, 2011. Moneyball, first edition, by
Michael Lewis, Norton, 2004.
TENTATIVE TOPICAL OUTLINE/CALENDAR :
Weeks 1&2
Introduction and Review of Basic Economic Concepts:
Chapters 1 and 2 (L&A)
Week 3&4
Sports Franchises as Profit-Maximizing Firms: Chapter 3
(L&A)
Week 5
Monopoly and Antitrust: Chapter 4 (L&A)
Week 6
Competitive balance: Chapter 5 (L&A)
Exam One
Weeks 7&8
Public Finance and Sports: Chapters 6& 7 (L&A)
Week 9-11
Labor Economics of Sports: Chapter 8-10 (L&A)
Exam Two
Week 12
Economics of College Sports: Chapter 10 (L&A)
Weeks 13-15
Moneyball
FINAL EXAM
May 6, 2015 8-11 AM, Bryan 111
ACADEMIC HONOR CODE:
Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the UNCG
Academic Honor Code. Procedures and penalties related to these and other
violations of the Academic Honor Policy are found at the following web
site: http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu/ as well as the Undergraduate
Bulletin 2014-2015. Any violation of the Honor Policy may result in failure
of the assignment or exam and subsequently the entire course.
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Students are expected to attend and be an active participant in all classes
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
None.