What’s next for small businesses who lose business to big corporations?

Eighteen hours ago, Graeme Campbell published an article titled “Community? Nike doesn’t care about your family run store” which dives into a family run sports store which had a partnership with Nike for more than fifty years. As of earlier today, Nike has decided to put their fifty year partnership on the back burner and cut ties with the Bronx based sporting company. Owner, Moe Stein, stated how he “knew Nike when they had nothing” he also feels that Nike is “putting down the Bronx because its not an elite place for them.” Although this is pretty sad, the 92-year-old Continue reading What’s next for small businesses who lose business to big corporations?

Why is college football back during COVID-19?

As we know covid-19 has changed our lives completely, forcing us to scramble for and cling onto anything that can get us back to normal, or at least make us feel that way. One of those things are the re-emergence of college football or in better terms, sports in general. We seen sports everywhere before the pandemic hit and was just a normal part of life. In the earlier months of the pandemic it was clear that it was a threat to all sports and  a big question that was asked was whether or not they will be back this Continue reading Why is college football back during COVID-19?

NFL Draft Strategy

Last night, the NFL Draft took place in Nashville, Tennessee. Football fans across the country tuned in to see if their respective teams would capitalize on this next wave of young football talent. With the coveted #1 overall pick, the Arizona Cardinals selected reigning Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray. Murray, who has been compared to the Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, appears to be a promising dual threat offensive weapon for years to come. However, in the year 2005, a paper titled “The Loser’s Curse: Overconfidence vs. Market Efficiency in the National Football League Draft” was published by economist Richard Thaler. Continue reading NFL Draft Strategy

Every Luxury Must Be Paid For

As Spring Training for the upcoming MLB season continues, some marquee free agents were recently signed to teams looking for future success. Manny Machado signed a 10 year contract for $300 million with the San Diego Padres. At the time of the signing, it was the largest contract ever signed by a free agent in any U.S. sport. However, he did not hold this record for long. Eight days later, another free agent player made history with the new largest free agent contract in U.S. history. Bryce Harper, now with the Philadelphia Phillies, signed for 13 years for $330 million. Major Continue reading Every Luxury Must Be Paid For

That’s how much sports cost?

This is what I blurted out in class, baffled by the high price casually associated with a seat at a basketball game. This got me thinking – what influences the wildly different prices of professional sports tickets? How are the tickets priced? The first price determinant, as we would expect, is the sport itself. For instance, the average NFL ticket is more expensive than an average MBL ticket, which is more expensive than an average NHL ticket. This isn’t too surprising, but what’s interesting is the huge disparity within a given sport. This disparity tends to come from pricing methods, Continue reading That’s how much sports cost?

Super Low at the Super Bowl

It has now been five days since the Super Bowl. The New England Patriots, led by Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, went on to beat the Los Angeles Rams to win their sixth league championship. The game, held in Atlanta, Georgia, was the lowest scoring NFL championship in league history with both teams combining for a total of 16 points. The score was not the only low point at Mercedes Benz Stadium, however. This past season, the ownership of the Atlanta Falcons decided to slash concession prices during home football games. Fans could purchase a beer for $5 and a Continue reading Super Low at the Super Bowl

Why Running is Becoming (more) Boring; Breakdown Game Theory Style

If you have ever been to a cross country race, or a track meet, you know endurance running is boring.  Runners can be going very slow and it’s hard to know how impressive it is, especially the races that take 20+ minutes. Recently championship races are getting harder and harder to watch, races that had audiences that spanned outside the running community.  Specifically, I’m talking about races such as the olympics, D1 nationals or the IAAF championship. The short answer: the races have been getting slower. The confusing part is that the runners are not getting slower, just these races.  The Continue reading Why Running is Becoming (more) Boring; Breakdown Game Theory Style

There’s No $ In Team: Columbus Crew Heads to Austin

Sports teams move all the time. From football to basketball to hockey to baseball, if team owners aren’t getting the public funding they want, they will threaten to leave or actually relocate to get what they want. Last week, Columbus Crew owner Anthony Precourt announced that the team will relocate to Austin if it fails to get a new stadium. This is a demonstration that Major League Soccer is no different from the big four. This topic is actually in the same vein as my post last week about Amazon. Much like the way that big corporations can threaten to Continue reading There’s No $ In Team: Columbus Crew Heads to Austin

Thesis Corner: Those High School Hooligans…

Today, steroid use among professional athletes gets a lot of spotlight in the media. Those stories about “how the mighty have fallen” resonate the same message time and time again: kids, don’t ever use drugs. This public exposure has massive consequences; it tarnishes a professional’s athletic reputation (I’m sure Lance Armstrong can attest), handicaps their prospects for future endorsements, and leads fans to question their favorite star’s ethics. We can understand the allure of abusing performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), but while it is highly scrutinized in professional sports, this problem is less known among lower levels of sports competition. This Continue reading Thesis Corner: Those High School Hooligans…

Thesis Corner: Pay Those Players!

College is a promise land offering a wealth of academic, extra-cirricular, and professional opportunities. It’s the time of your life when you can create new experiences, juggle your interests, and form your identity. But for student athletes, this idea of “you can do it all” is often an unattainable reality due to the time crunch required by sports. I’m sure Division I student athletes everywhere have reflected on their hard work and commitment to their sports and have wondered, “man, I should get paid for this”. While playing sports is a passion, it’s morphed from an extra-cirricular activity to a full Continue reading Thesis Corner: Pay Those Players!