This book brings together, for the first time under a single cover, international comparisons of the major topics in sports economics. Contributors are all renowned scholars of the international sports scene in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, the Pacific Rim, North America, and Europe. The reader will find an overview of sports in particular countries and regions along with comparisons along the major topics of economic importance. In particular, the contributions compare and contrast revenues and costs, labor markets (restrictions and discrimination), market structures (league and association organizations) and outcomes (team profitability and competitive balance), and policy issues (especially competition policy). Aimed primarily at sports scholars, practicing sports professionals, and policymakers, the volume is also well suited for undergraduate sports economics, sports management, and sports law courses.

Tables and FiguresPrefaceWestern Europe - Overall IssuesProfessional Sport in Europe: Which Economic Model? by Jean-Francois BourgIs There a European Model of Sport? by Stefan SzymanskiStill Up for Grabs? Maintaining the Sporting and Financial Viability of European Soccer by Bill GerrardWestern Europe - Labor IssuesThe European and U.S. Sports Labor Markets by Paul D. StaudoharEconomic Analysis of the Transfer Market in European Professional Soccer by Jean-Jacques Gouguet and Didier PrimaultShould the International Mobility of Teenage Talented Players from Developing Countries Bye Regulated? by Wladimir AndreffWestern Europe - Competitive Balance IssuesEconomic Inequalities within and between Professional Football Leagues in Europe: Sporting Consequences and Policy Options by H. F. MoorhouseBuying Success: Relationahips Between Team Performance and Wage Bills in the U.S. and European Sports Leagues by Robert Simmons and David ForrestRevenue Sharing Arrangements and the Survival of Promoted Teams: Empirical Evidence from the European Soccer Leagues by Bernd Frick and Joachim PrinzWestern Europe - League Evolution, Broadcasting, and the Stock MarketCommon Origins, Common Future? A Comparative Analysis of Association and Rugby League Football in the UK by Paul Downward and Ian JacksonSport and Broadcasting: Comparisons between the USA and Europe by Chris Gratton and Harry Arne SolbergStock Market Flotation and the Finance and Management of Professional Soccer Clubs in Europe by Stephen Dobson and John GoddardCanadian Professional FootballThe Professional Football Industry in Canada: Economic and Policy Issues by Neil LongleySouthern Hemisphere Rugby UnionProfessionalization of Southern Hemisphere Rugby Union by P. Dorian Owen and Clayton R. WeatherstonBrazilian FootballAn Overview of Brazilian Football by Antônio Carlos Kfouri Aidar, Clarissa Bueno de Ameida, and Renato Giosa MirallaJapanese and Korean BaseballJapanese and North American Baseball: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of the Effects of Rule Changes by Akihiko Kawaura and Sumner J. LacroixCompetitive Balance and Attendance in Japanese, Korean, and U.S. Professional Baseball Leagues by Young Hoon LeeAustraliaProfessional Sporting Competitions in Australia by Robert D. MacDonald and Jeff BorlandLabour Market Intervention, Revenue Sharing and Competitive Balance in the Australian Football League, 1897-2002 by Ross BoothAustralian Professional Team Sports In a State of Flux by Braham DabscheckBibliographyIndexAbout the Contributors