Mid Module

Professor T. Smith

Spring 2010

Economics and Finance of Sports

1Prof. T. SmithMid Module

Economics & Finance of Sports

Think about these questions:

“Should we resign this player?”“How can we get more people in the stands?”“How can we drive more luxury box sales?”“Can we buy our ways into the playoffs?”“Are we pricing our product the best that we can?”

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Questions

These are economics and financial problems!

What do you need to answer these?•Data & Information•Firm Objectives•Tools

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The Class

We will be using industry data to answer these and other questions

The three primary objective of this class are: 1. Introduce students to the tools and techniques of analysis

2. Present students with industry data (or data collection)

3. Allow students to present findings to industry leaders

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The Project

Analysis of a QuestionPrevious Questions/Analysis

• Which Players Make the Best Coaches? (MLB)• Do Big Wins Drive Freshman Entries? (NCAA)• Which are the Best “Feeder” Schools? (NCAA Basketball)• Do Earnings Differentials by Race Persist? (NBA)• Do Top-10 NBA Drafts Predict Success? (NBA)• Do PGA Tour Events Generate Revenue for Cities? (PGA)• Is Positional “Stacking” Still an Issue? (NFL)

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The Schedule

Thursday• Q & A with Todd Foreman, Partner, Atlanta Spirit• Lectures with T. Smith• Simulations using industry data

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The Schedule

Friday• Q & A with Scott Wilkinson, CLO and Assistant General

Manager (Basketball), Atlanta Spirit• Lectures with T. Smith• More Simulations • Visit to Phillips Arena:

• Talk with team personnel• Facilities Tour• Thrasher’s Game• Autograph session with Dustin Byfuglien (OK, maybe not )

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The Schedule

Monday• Debriefing of Team Projects to:

• Todd Foreman, Atlanta Spirit• Scott Wilkinson, Atlanta Spirit• T. Smith, Goizueta Business School

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