{"product_id":"playbooks-and-checkbooks-stefan-szymanski-9780691202761","title":"Playbooks and Checkbooks: An Introduction to the Economics of Modern Sports","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhat economic rules govern sports? How does the sports business differ from other businesses? \u003ci\u003ePlaybooks and Checkbooks\u003c\/i\u003e takes a fascinating step-by-step look at the fundamental economic relationships shaping modern sports. Focusing on the ways that the sports business does and does not overlap with economics, the book uncovers the core paradox at the heart of the sports industry. Unlike other businesses, the sports industry would not survive if competitors obliterated each other to extinction, financially or otherwise--without rivals there is nothing to sell. \u003ci\u003ePlaybooks and Checkbooks\u003c\/i\u003e examines how this unique economic truth plays out in the sports world, both on and off the field. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Noted economist Stefan Szymanski explains how modern sporting contests have evolved; how sports competitions are organized; and how economics has guided antitrust, monopoly, and cartel issues in the sporting world. Szymanski considers the motivation provided by prize money, uncovers discrepancies in players' salaries, and shows why the incentive structure for professional athletes encourages them to cheat through performance-enhancing drugs and match fixing. He also explores how changes in media broadcasting allow owners and athletes to play to a global audience, and why governments continue to publicly fund sporting events such as the Olympics, despite almost certain financial loss. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Using economic tools to reveal the complex arrangements of an industry, \u003ci\u003ePlaybooks and Checkbooks\u003c\/i\u003e illuminates the world of sports through economics, and the world of economics through sports.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Stefan Szymanski\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0691202761\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780691202761\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/26\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 248\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.10lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.40h x 5.50w x 0.60d","brand":"Stefan Szymanski","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43941112971519,"sku":"9780691202761","price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_aaf84cb6-7cfc-4c69-ba9b-05d1eb3906fc.jpg?v=1681450984","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/playbooks-and-checkbooks-stefan-szymanski-9780691202761","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}