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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. Simon Rottenberg, 1956. "The Baseball Players' Labor Market," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 64(3), pages 242-242.
    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.
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    5. 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.
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    10. 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.
    11. 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.
    12. 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.
    13. Rosen, Sherwin, 1981. "The Economics of Superstars," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(5), pages 845-858, December.
    14. 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.
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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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