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The Rationality of Under‐employing the Best‐performing Soccer Players

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  • Pedro Garcia‐del‐Barrio
  • Francesc Pujol

Abstract

. This paper analyses the influence of sport performance (productivity) and other variables measuring the economic contribution of soccer players, upon the coach's decision of selecting a particular player. Using as dependent variable the proportion of time that individuals play in the Spanish professional soccer league, the paper concludes that players' economic market value does significantly affect the coach's choice, revealing the existence of other aims different from maximizing sport performance. We also examine the type of discrimination associated with lower chances of playing, which leads to smaller earnings and poorer career opportunities. The empirical evidence does not support discrimination due to nationality.

Suggested Citation

  • Pedro Garcia‐del‐Barrio & Francesc Pujol, 2009. "The Rationality of Under‐employing the Best‐performing Soccer Players," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 23(3), pages 397-419, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:labour:v:23:y:2009:i:3:p:397-419
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9914.2009.00457.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Walter C. Neale, 1964. "The Peculiar Economics of Professional Sports," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 78(1), pages 1-14.
    2. Stefan Szymanski, 2010. "A Market Test for Discrimination in the English Professional Soccer Leagues," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Football Economics and Policy, chapter 6, pages 136-150, Palgrave Macmillan.
    3. Stefan Szymanski & Ron Smith, 2010. "The English Football Industry: Profit, Performance and Industrial Structure," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Football Economics and Policy, chapter 1, pages 1-26, Palgrave Macmillan.
    4. Scully, Gerald W, 1974. "Pay and Performance in Major League Baseball," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 64(6), pages 915-930, December.
    5. Simon Rottenberg, 1956. "The Baseball Players' Labor Market," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 64(3), pages 242-242.
    6. Thomas Hoehn & Stefan Szymanski, 2010. "The Americanization of European football," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Football Economics and Policy, chapter 3, pages 52-96, Palgrave Macmillan.
    7. Guido Ascari & Philippe Gagnepain, 2006. "Spanish Football," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 7(1), pages 76-89, February.
    8. McCormick, Robert E. & Tollison, Robert D., 2001. "Why do black basketball players work more for less money?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 44(2), pages 201-219, February.
    9. Pedro Garcia-del-Barrio & Francesc Pujol, 2007. "Hidden monopsony rents in winner-take-all markets-sport and economic contribution of Spanish soccer players," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(1), pages 57-70.
    10. Bodvarsson, Orn B. & Partridge, Mark D., 2001. "A supply and demand model of co-worker, employer and customer discrimination," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 8(3), pages 389-416, June.
    11. Pedro Garcia-del-Barrio & Stefan Szymanski, 2009. "Goal! Profit Maximization Versus Win Maximization in Soccer," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 34(1), pages 45-68, February.
    12. Gerald W. Scully, 2004. "Player salary share and the distribution of player earnings," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(2), pages 77-86.
    13. Dennis Wilson & Yung-Hsiang Ying, 2003. "Nationality preferences for labour in the international football industry," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(14), pages 1551-1559.
    14. repec:bla:scotjp:v:47:y:2000:i:4:p:342-63 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Sloane, Peter J, 1971. "The Economics of Professional Football: The Football Club as a Utility Maximiser," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 18(2), pages 121-146, June.
    16. Rosen, Sherwin, 1981. "The Economics of Superstars," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(5), pages 845-858, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lionel Page & Markus Schaffner & Marie Beigelman, 2016. "Striking strikers. A case of player mispricing in Association Football," QuBE Working Papers 043, QUT Business School.
    2. Bridgewater, Sue & Kahn, Lawrence M. & Goodall, Amanda H., 2011. "Substitution and complementarity between managers and subordinates: Evidence from British football," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 275-286, June.

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