"Economics of Baseball"
Forum 1 · May 29, 2001 · Bob
Costas, George Will
The Weidenbaum Center Forum sponsored a conference on the economics
of major league baseball on May 29, 2001. Prominent economists and baseball
insiders were joined by George Will and Bob Costas for a day-long discussion
of the players' contract, free agency, revenue sharing, and stadium finance.
The Economics of Baseball Forum was sponsored in part by special grant
from The Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. and Jobaire, Inc.
Transcripts, video, and audio of the conference may be accessed from
this page. Transcripts are in pdf format; video and audio stream in RealNetworks.
Choose a keynote address or panel topic, or scroll down.
Keynote 1: Bob
Costas, NBC, HBO Sportscaster Bob Costas provides
an after dinner speech on the state of major league baseball.
Keynote 2: George
Will, columnist, ABC Columnist George Will provides an
after lunch speech describing the report of Commissioner's Blue Ribbon
Panel on the Economics of Baseball and his views on the future of baseball.
Free Agency and Collective
Bargaining
Andrew Zimbalist, Robert A. Woods
Professor of Economics, Smith College. Professor Zimbalist outlines
of the logic of collective bargaining in baseball and advocates a modertate
increase in team revenue sharing.
Charles P. Korr, Professor of History,
University of Missouri-St. Louis. Professor Korr provides historical
perspective of player-management relations and the current issues confronting
major league baseball.
Don Fehr, Executive Director and
General Counsel of the Major League Players Association. Mr. Fehr
gives an overview of the players' and owners' viewpoints on free agency,
collective bargaining, and the condition of major league baseball.
Revenue Sharing
Rodney Fort, Professor of Economics,
Washington State University. Professor Fort advocates loosening Major
League Baseball's control over team location and expansion as a way to
address key economic issue challenges in baseball.
Clark Griffith,
former Executive Vice President of the Minnesota Twins and business and
sports lawyer. Mr. Griffith advocates radical reform of revenue sharing
among teams.
Stadium Financing
Darlene Green, Comptroller, City
of St. Louis. Ms. Green presents the city perspective on balancing
priorities when considering public and private financing plans for new
stadiums.
Mark Lamping, President, St. Louis
Cardinals. Mr. Lamping offers an insider's perspective on stadium
financing and community benefits.
Allen R. Sanderson, Senior Lecturer
in Economics, University of Chicago. Professor Sanderson reports
that there are no discernable economic benefits from public subsidies for
new baseball stadiums.
George Will, syndicated columnist.
Mr. Will urges us to consider non-economic and intangible benefits of promoting
major league baseball.
Overview of the Condition
of Major League Baseball
Bob Costas, sportscaster.
Mr. Costas offers his suggestions for the reform of major league baseball.
Don Fehr, Executive Director and
General Counsel of the Major League Players Association. Mr. Fehr
discusses the common and divergent interests of the teams and of players
and management in major league baseball.
John Rawlings, Senior Vice President
and Editorial Director, The Sporting News. Mr. Rawlings discusses
the disparities in markets and payrolls.
News
Release
Our original press release on the conference. Leading baseball
industry experts, including journalists George Will and Bob Costas were
here at Washington University in St. Louis on May 29 for a one-day conference
on "The Economics of Major League Baseball."
The
Blue Ribbon Panel on the Economics of Baseball
In the summer of 2000, the Blue Ribbon Panel on the Economics of Baseball,
commissioned by Commission Bud Selig, issued a report that called for significant
reforms in the organization and finances of Major League Baseball.
The report can be found here.
Additional
Resources on the Economics of Baseball
Professor Rod Fort, Washington State University, maintains a list of
links to websites and articles on the business of sports. You can
find them here. |
