Widely Received: Payoffs to Player Attributes in the NFL

We examine wide receivers drafted into the NFL to assess what attributes explain draft rank and correspond to high salaries and performance in their first year in the league. We find that tangible measures of player quality are valuable signals. Consistent with expectations, faster and more accomplished college receivers are drafted earlier and earn more. However, we find no significant relationship between 40-yard dash times and first year performance for wide receivers. In addition, media exposure received by players prior to the draft is positively related to draft placement and higher earnings even after controlling for measured physical attributes.Sports Economics, NFL, Draft, Media

Convergence (and Divergence) in the Biological Standard of Living in the United States, 1820-1900

Standard economic indicators suggest that the United States experienced long-run economic growth throughout the nineteenth century. However, biological indicators, including human stature, offer a different picture, rising early in the century, falling (on average) mid-century, and rising again at the end of the century. This pattern varied across geographical regions. Using a unique data set, consisting of mean adult stature by state, we test for convergence in stature among states in the nineteenth century. We find that during the period of declining mean stature, heights actually diverged. Later in the century we find a type of “negative” convergence indicating that stature among states tended to converge to a new, lower steady state. Only towards the end of the century do we find classic convergence behavior. We argue that the diversity of economic experiences across regions, e.g. urbanization, industrialization, and transportation improvements, explain this pattern of divergence and then convergence.

Effects of Celebrity Media Exposure on Box-Office Performance

This article examines the relation between box-office performance and celebrity media exposure, as measured by appearances in the celebrity magazine, People. This study employs variables that capture different time periods to test whether People magazine appearances were merely part of a general promotional effort by a studio or whether appearances reflected the popular appeal of the actor. The results indicate that promotional appearances do not significantly affect box-office revenues. In fact, it is the star's popular appeal reflected in appearances prior to the promotional push that significantly affect box-office success.

Interacting with Agricultural Policy 280 Characters at a Time: Twitter in the Classroom

This article describes how Twitter can be used as a pedagogical tool to increase student engagement with agricultural policy both inside and outside of the classroom. This assignment, which can be tailored by instructors to meet learning objectives for a variety of course levels, can be used specifically to bridge the gap between economic graphs and real-world applications. In addition to increasing student familiarity with current events and real-world application of agricultural policy, the Twitter assignment requires students to operate on every level of Bloom’s taxonomy with a focus on students’ creativity and critical analysis skills

Press Pass: Payoffs to Media Exposure Among National Football League (NFL) Wide Receivers

The authors examine Wide Receivers drafted into the National Football League (NFL) to test competing superstar theories related to both talent and popularity. The authors use player performance variables and media exposure in the popular press prior to the draft to explore whether talent and popularity can explain differences in salaries and NFL draft order. The authors find evidence of superstar effects stemming from player popularity but not performance even after controlling for measured physical attributes. The authors also find that tangible measures of player quality are valuable signals. Consistent with expectations, faster and more accomplished college receivers are drafted earlier and earn more.football; superstars; media; draft; quantile regression

Convergence (and divergence) in the biological standard of living in the USA, 1820–1900

Standard economic indicators suggest that the USA experienced long-run economic growth throughout the nineteenth century. However, biological indicators, including human stature, offer a different picture, rising early in the century, falling (on average) mid-century, and rising again at the end of the century. This pattern varied across geographical regions. Using a unique data set, consisting of mean adult stature by state, we test for convergence in stature among states in the nineteenth century. We find that during the period of declining mean stature (1820–1870), heights actually diverged. Later in the century (1870–1890) we find a type of “negative” convergence indicating that stature among states tended to converge to a new, lower steady state. Only towards the end of the century (1880–1900) do we find classic convergence behavior. We argue that the diversity of economic experiences across regions, including urbanization, industrialization, and transportation improvements, explain this pattern of divergence and then convergence.Convergence, Nutrition, Stature, Standard of living

Pedagogical Pivot - Faculty Reflections on the Rapid Transition to Virtual Teaching During COVID-19

In March 2020, faculty across the nation were forced to suddenly transform their inperson classes to virtual platforms as a result of COVID-19 university closures. Virtual offerings continued throughout the 2020-21 academic year for most universities. We share our own observations gathered from biweekly meetings of AAEA’s Teaching, Learning, and Communication (TLC) section, where participants discuss best practices for remote instruction. Our paper addresses several themes, including the challenges of teaching in a virtual environment, the positive outcomes of the pivot to remote teaching, and perspectives regarding how university education may be forever altered when we return to the classroom