An Economist Goes to the Game: How to Throw Away $580 Million and Other Surprising Insights from the Economics of Sports
- Downloads：5211
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-08-14 06:51:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Paul Oyer
- ISBN：0300218249
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
An engaging look at the ways economic thinking can help us understand how sports work both on and off the field
“Mr。 Oyer writes clearly and ranges across all sorts of sports as well as across the globe， introducing fascinating observations。”—Henry D。 Fetter， Wall Street Journal
Are ticket scalpers good for teams？ Should parents push their kids to excel at sports？ Why do Koreans dominate women’s golf， while Kenyans and Ethiopians dominate marathon racing？ Why would Michael Jordan， the greatest player in basketball， pass to Steve Kerr for the game-winning shot？
Paul Oyer shows the many ways economics permeates the world of sports。 His topics range from the business of sport to how great athletes use economic thinking to outsmart their opponents to why the world's greatest sports powerhouse （at least per capita） is not America or China but the principality of Liechtenstein。 Economics explains why some sports cannot stop the use of performance-enhancing drugs while others can， why hundred-million-dollar player contracts are guaranteed in baseball but not in football， how one man was able to set the world of sports betting on its ear—and why it will probably never happen again。 This book is an entertaining guide to how a bit of economics can make you a better athlete and a more informed fan。
“Mr。 Oyer writes clearly and ranges across all sorts of sports as well as across the globe， introducing fascinating observations。”—Henry D。 Fetter， Wall Street Journal
Are ticket scalpers good for teams？ Should parents push their kids to excel at sports？ Why do Koreans dominate women’s golf， while Kenyans and Ethiopians dominate marathon racing？ Why would Michael Jordan， the greatest player in basketball， pass to Steve Kerr for the game-winning shot？
Paul Oyer shows the many ways economics permeates the world of sports。 His topics range from the business of sport to how great athletes use economic thinking to outsmart their opponents to why the world's greatest sports powerhouse （at least per capita） is not America or China but the principality of Liechtenstein。 Economics explains why some sports cannot stop the use of performance-enhancing drugs while others can， why hundred-million-dollar player contracts are guaranteed in baseball but not in football， how one man was able to set the world of sports betting on its ear—and why it will probably never happen again。 This book is an entertaining guide to how a bit of economics can make you a better athlete and a more informed fan。
Reviews
Mac
，
When evaluating a book， picture a spectrum from “Pedestrian” （uninteresting） at one end to “Creative” （fascinating） at the other。 If that’s the range， then Paul Oyer’s An Economist Goes to the Game falls somewhere between the two poles。 Perhaps “Workmanlike” is a fair assessment。 Oyer’s work does check a lot of the right boxes。 His explanations are clear; the structure is well organized， and the work is fully researched。 Overall， the book is informative on a wide range of sports topics analyzed When evaluating a book， picture a spectrum from “Pedestrian” （uninteresting） at one end to “Creative” （fascinating） at the other。 If that’s the range， then Paul Oyer’s An Economist Goes to the Game falls somewhere between the two poles。 Perhaps “Workmanlike” is a fair assessment。 Oyer’s work does check a lot of the right boxes。 His explanations are clear; the structure is well organized， and the work is fully researched。 Overall， the book is informative on a wide range of sports topics analyzed from an economist’s viewpoint。 What’s more the chapter headings are intriguing， for instance: “Should You Help Your Kid Become a Pro Athlete？” “What Do Silicon Valley and Czech Women’s Tennis Have in Common？” “Why Should You Be Upset If Your Hometown Hosts the Olympics？”Despite checking the literary boxes and presenting some clever topics， An Economist Goes to the Game falls short。 The book lacks creative sparks or aha！ moments to make the ideas memorable。 It’s clearly written but somehow low energy; it more than plods along， but it never soars。About 20 years ago， Freakonomics set the standard for books like this; it was a breakthrough work that informed and delighted。 It was irreverent and cheeky， educational and entertaining。 Though some of Freakonomics’s ideas are now out of date， it’s still a memorable work for blending economic research and enjoyable reading。 Years from now， I’m guessing An Economist Goes to the Game won’t be remembered at all because it lacks flair or a sense of joy。 。。。more
James
，
Just awful
Paul Miller
，
If you like Freakanomics， you'll find this short collection of sports essays worth your while， if not quite as compellingly presented as would Dubner and team。 If you like Freakanomics， you'll find this short collection of sports essays worth your while， if not quite as compellingly presented as would Dubner and team。 。。。more
Jake
，
Quick read in the Freakonomics and Scorecasting mold。 Nine essays， all related to the world of sports and how economics ties in to that world。Bonus points for the author， Paul Oyer， being a fan of the Effectively Wild podcast。Thank you to NetGalley and Yale University Press for the reader copy in exchange for an honest review。
MC Book
，