Research Note: Athletic Graduation Rates and Simpson’s Paradox

Graduation rates for male athletes overall as well as men’s football and basketball players lag behind those of male non-athletes at Division I colleges and universities. Scholarship athletes, however, are much more likely to be drawn from racial and ethnic groups with lower average graduation rates. After accounting for differences in racial composition, graduation rates for male athletes overall as well football players match or exceed those of their peers, and racial differences account for over one-quarter of the shortfall in men’s basketball graduation rates. This is a classic example of Simpson’s Paradox.college sports, sports economics, graduation rates

Alternative Methods of Calculating Optimal Timber Rotations: A Critique of the Stokey/Lucas/Prescott Tree-Cutting Problem

The traditional question of optimally deciding when to cut down a tree is among the most commonly posed questions asked of students learning the technique of dynamic programming. This paper shows that the traditional tree-cutting example is improperly formulated when the question of replanting is addressed, derives the proper method of finding optimal harvest length, and applies this method to an empirical forest growth function.forestry, dynamic programing, tree cutting problem

Mega-Events: The effect of the world’s biggest sporting events on local, regional, and national economies

This paper provides an overview of the economics of sports mega-events as well as a review of the existing literature in the field. The paper describes why boosters’ ex ante estimates of the economic impact of large sporting events tend to exaggerate the net economic benefits of these events and surveys the results of a large number of ex post studies of exploring the true impact of mega-events.sports, impact analysis, mega-events

Sports and the Law: Using Court Cases to Teach Sports Economics

The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, it lays forth a rationale for the use of court cases in teaching a sports economics class. Second, it provides an overview of the most important cases related to sports economics. Court classes allow students to develop critical reading and reasoning skills while allowing the instructor to present readings outside the standard textbook that are accessible to most undergraduates. A sports economics course with a focus on legal issues also broadens the course to fit better within a liberal arts education rather than being a narrow speciality field.sports, court cases, legal economics