Major League Baseball Research Papers (original) (raw)

Moneyball (Lewis, 2003) is a book about baseball. The book describes how a small-market Major League Baseball team, the Oakland Athletics, has been able to compete with large-market teams by being innovative in a tradition-laden industry.... more

Moneyball (Lewis, 2003) is a book about baseball. The book describes how a small-market Major League Baseball team, the Oakland Athletics, has been able to compete with large-market teams by being innovative in a tradition-laden industry. However, when read through a business management lens, one discerns that this baseball book, in fact, has general management lessons in a variety of

Five studies examined the relationship between talent and team performance. Two survey studies found that people believe there is a linear and nearly monotonic relationship between talent and performance: Participants expected that more... more

Five studies examined the relationship between talent and team performance. Two survey studies found that people believe there is a linear and nearly monotonic relationship between talent and performance: Participants expected that more talent improves performance and that this relationship never turns negative. However, building off research on status conflicts, we predicted that talent facilitates performance—but only up to a point, after which the benefits of more talent decrease and eventually become detrimental as intrateam coordination suffers. We also predicted that the level of task interdependence is a key determinant of when more talent is detrimental rather than beneficial. Three archival studies revealed that the too-much-talent effect emerged when team members were interdependent (football and basketball) but not independent (baseball). Our basketball analysis also established the mediating role of team coordination. When teams need to come together, more talent can tear them apart.

This study presents analysis of the impact of “official product” sports sponsorships with the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Hockey League (NHL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and... more

This study presents analysis of the impact of “official product” sports sponsorships with the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Hockey League (NHL), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) on the stock prices of sponsoring firms. The primary finding of the study is that, in the main, announcements were accompanied by increases in shareholder wealth. The 53 sponsors analyzed experienced mean increases in stock valuations of about $257 million. A multiple regression analysis of firm-specific stock price changes and selected corporate and sponsorship attributes indicates that official product sponsorships with the NBA, NHL, and PGA and those with smaller market shares were associated with the largest gains in share prices. Although corporate cashflow (a proxy for agency conflicts) is statistically unrelated to shareholder approval, sponsorships by high-technology companies were associated with stronger stock price reactions than otherwise. Finally, product congruence with the sponsored sport was positively related to changes in stock prices.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of the Spanish language and the remarkable contribution to Major League Baseball by Spanish-American players.

This study explores the forecasting of Major League Baseball game ticket sales and identifies important attendance predictors by means of random forests that are grown from classification and regression trees (CART) and conditional... more

This study explores the forecasting of Major League Baseball game ticket sales and identifies important attendance predictors by means of random forests that are grown from classification and regression trees (CART) and conditional inference trees. Unlike previous studies that predict sport demand, I consider differ-ent forecasting horizons and only use information that is publicly accessible in advance of a game or season. Models are trained using data from 2013 to 2014 to make predictions for the 2015 regular season. The static within-season approach is complemented by a dynamic month-ahead forecasting strategy. Out-of-sample performance is evaluated for individual teams and tested against least-squares regression and a naive lagged attendance forecast. My empirical results show high variation in team-specific prediction accuracy with respect to both models and forecasting horizons. Linear and tree-ensemble models, on average, do not vary substantially in predictive accuracy; however, OLS regression fails to account for various team-specific peculiarities.

John Lindsay, the mayor of New York City from 1966 to 1973, developed an innovative media strategy for his underdog reelection campaign in 1969. A Yale graduate with a patrician image, Lindsay sought to win over middle-class voters by... more

John Lindsay, the mayor of New York City from 1966 to 1973, developed an innovative media strategy for his underdog reelection campaign in 1969. A Yale graduate with a patrician image, Lindsay sought to win over middle-class voters by associating with the New York Mets during the baseball team’s unlikely march to the World Series. When the “Miracle Mets” clinched the pennant, Lindsay ventured into the delirious clubhouse and received a champagne shower from the players. Lindsay called the celebration “a nonpolitical event,” but newspaper photographs of the post-game revelry have been credited for Lindsay’s subsequent victory at the polls. Lindsay’s association with the Mets exemplifies an understudied period when politicians such as Richard Nixon, Robert F. Kennedy, and George McGovern used athletes as surrogates.

The probability of winning a game in major league baseball depends on various factors relating to team strength including the past performance of the two teams, the batting ability of the two teams and the starting pitchers. These three... more

The probability of winning a game in major league baseball depends on various factors relating to team strength including the past performance of the two teams, the batting ability of the two teams and the starting pitchers. These three factors change over time. We combine these factors by adopting contribution parameters, and include a home field advantage variable in forming

The authors use race-level data from 2003 and 2004 to test von Allmen's hypothesis regarding the inefficiency of the NASCAR reward system, where compensation is in the form of points that are accumulated throughout a season. They... more

The authors use race-level data from 2003 and 2004 to test von Allmen's hypothesis regarding the inefficiency of the NASCAR reward system, where compensation is in the form of points that are accumulated throughout a season. They define drivers as two types, skilled and unskilled. Skilled drivers are hypothesized to be less aggressive than unskilled drivers because they are more

Professional baseball operates a tiered system of talent development facilitated by alliances between Minor League Baseball (MiLB) clubs and higher status Major League Baseball (MLB) parent teams. This study applies management theory to... more

Professional baseball operates a tiered system of talent development facilitated by alliances between Minor League Baseball (MiLB) clubs and higher status Major League Baseball (MLB) parent teams. This study applies management theory to advance the literature on MiLB demand modeling by proposing and testing a new set of demand determinants based on interorganizational alliance principles. Team executives at the AA level should be alert to the high cost of switching team alliances and of changing to a parent club in closer geographical proximity. At the AAA level, affiliation with a winning MLB club exerts a positive effect on AAA demand.

... Abstract. Since 2005, Major League Baseball (MLB) has suspended 258 players under its Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. ... "Learning unethical practices from a co-worker: the peer effect of Jose Canseco," MPRA Paper... more

... Abstract. Since 2005, Major League Baseball (MLB) has suspended 258 players under its Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. ... "Learning unethical practices from a co-worker: the peer effect of Jose Canseco," MPRA Paper 24232, University Library of Munich, Germany. ...

Professional sports leagues, franchises, and civic boosters, have used the promise of an all star game or league championship as an incentive for host cities to construct new stadiums or arenas at considerable public expense. Past... more

Professional sports leagues, franchises, and civic boosters, have used the promise of an all star game or league championship as an incentive for host cities to construct new stadiums or arenas at considerable public expense. Past league-sponsored studies have estimated that Super Bowls, All-Star games and other sports mega-events increase economic activity by hundreds of millions of dollars in host