Course: Economics 416/516
Sports Economics
Fall 2014
Professor: Dr. Phillip A. Miller
Lecture Meeting Times:
MW 12:30 – 1:45 in AH 222
Office: Morris Hall 139 (in MH 150 with the College of Business Offices)
Office Hours: Tue. 9 – 1, Thur. 9 – 11, and by appointment
Office Phone: 389-5248
Email: phillip.miller@mnsu.edu
Text (required): Sports Economics 5th ed. Michael Leeds and Peter Von Allmen
Other Required Readings:
1. There will be other required readings assigned from various sources.
Other sources: Sports Economics Roger D. Blair 1st ed, Sports Economics Rodney Forth 3rd ed
Home Page: http://krypton.mnsu.edu/~millep1/classes.html
Some materials for this class may be posted at this site.
Course Objectives:
This course is designed to acquaint the student with how economists apply the basic tools of their discipline
to understand various sporting outcomes. Some tools will be theoretical while others will be empirical.
Prerequisites:
Principles of Microeconomics (Economics 202 or equivalent).
Readings from Leeds and Von Allmen 5th ed. and other sources*
Section
1
Title
Introductory Materials
Readings
Notes
Chapter 1
Chap 2, Appendix 2B,
2
Demand, Supply, Regression
3
Leagues
The Peculiar Economics of
Team Sports (Walter Neale,
1964)
The Baseball Players' Labor
Market (Rottenberg, 1956)
Chap 3, Section 4 (pp 90 102), Neale (1964)
Chap 3 sections 1 - 3 (pp 75 104) and section 5 (pp 102 –
108)
Chap 4
4
Profit-Maximization, Ticket
Pricing, and Sports Accounting
5
Competitive Balance
Chap 5
6
Sports Labor Markets
Chap 8
7
Monopsony and Sports Labor
Unions
Chap 9
8
Government and Sports
Rottenberg (1956)
Chap 6
Chap 7
College and other Non-Profit
Chap 11
Sports
*There may be other assigned readings given throughout the semester.
10
time
permitting
time
permitting
Grading Criteria
Criteria
Percent
Dates
Exam 1
Exam 2
Final Exam
Quizzes
30
30
30
10
TBA
TBA
W 12/10 10:15-12:15
Total
100
.
Tentative Grade Range
Letter Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
D-
Tentative Grade Range
Letter Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
Lowest
Score for
this Grade
97
93
90
87
83
80
77
Lowest Score for
this Grade
97
93
90
87
83
80
77
73
70
67
63
60
C
CD+
D
D-
73
70
67
63
60
This curve represents the highest possible cut-off for each grade. A more lenient curve may be set.
Policies for Econ 416:
Exams:
Each exam will consist of multiple choice questions. I will give students at least one week’s notice before
each examination.
Make-up Exams:
If you must miss any regularly-scheduled exam, you need to notify me in writing regarding the reason for
your absence at least one week in advance. In case of an emergency, the student must notify me in writing
as soon as possible with regards to the reason he/she missed the test. In the case of an emergency, I will
generally only consider giving a make-up exam under verifiable situations (such as a verifiable medical or
family emergency). Make-up exams will solely contain questions requiring written answers.
Quizzes:
There will be 5-6 quizzes consisting of multiple choice questions given at the end of various classes
throughout the semester. These may or may not be announced in advance. I will drop your lowest quiz
score in calculating your course grade.
Make up quizzes:
There will be no make-up quizzes. In lieu of make-up quizzes, I drop your lowest quiz score as noted
above.
Extra Credit:
There will be no extra credit assignments given.
Technology Policies:
The use of laptops, cell phones, iPod’s etc. in class is not allowed. I reserve the right to ask any student
who violates this policy to leave class immediately. I also reserve the right to send offending students to
the Office of Student Affairs.
Incomplete Grades:
University policy regarding incomplete grades will be strictly implemented in this course.
*Note on academic (dis)honesty:
Copying or closely paraphrasing others’ work, including the work of your fellow students, is considered
plagiarism and will result in a score of 0 (zero) for the course and the student will be referred to the Office
of Student Affairs.
Colluding with another student during an exam or a quiz is also considered academic dishonesty and
students caught colluding will receive a score of 0 for the exam or a quiz and will be referred to the Office
of Student Affairs.
Note that a grade of 0 (zero) obtained because of academic dishonesty will not be dropped from the
calculation of the student’s grade.
For more on the university’s policy on academic honesty, refer to the university webpage.