What can possibly account for the strange state of affairs in
professional sports today? There are billionaire owners and millionaire
players, but both groups are constantly squabbling over money. Many pro
teams appear to be virtual "cash machines," generating astronomical
annual revenues, but their owners seem willing to uproot them and move
to any city willing to promise increased profits. At the same time,
mayors continue to cook up "sweetheart deals" that lavish benefits on
wealthy teams while imposing crushing financial hardships on cities that
are already strapped with debt. To fans today, professional sports teams
often look more like professional extortionists.
In Hard Ball, James Quirk and Rodney Fort take on a daunting
challenge: explaining exactly how things have gotten to this point and
proposing a way out. Both authors are professional economists who
specialize in the economics of sports. Their previous book, Pay Dirt:
The Business of Professional Team Sports, is widely acknowledged as the
Bible of sports economics. Here, however, they are writing for sports
fans who are trying to make sense out of the perplexing world of pro
team sports. It is not money, in itself, that is the cause of today's
problems, they assert. In fact, the real problem stems from one simple
fact: pro sports are monopolies that are fully sanctioned by the U.S.
government. Eliminate the monopolies, say Quirk and Fort, and all
problems can be solved. If the monopolies are allowed to persist, so
will today's woes.
The authors discuss all four major pro team sports: baseball, football,
basketball, and hockey. Hard Ball is filled with anecdotes, case
studies, and factual information that are brought together here for the
first time. Quirk and Fort devote chapters to the main protagonists in
the pro sports saga--media, unions, players, owners, politicians, and
leagues--before they offer their own prescription for correcting the
ills that afflict sports today. The result is an engaging and persuasive
book that is sure to be widely read, cited, and debated. It is essential
reading for every fan.
