A Model of Promotion and Relegation in League Sports
23 Pages Posted: 23 Nov 2009 Last revised: 25 Jun 2012
Date Written: November 1, 2009
Abstract
Sports leagues in different parts of the world are set up in different ways, some as open leagues and some as closed leagues. It has been shown that spending on players is higher in open leagues (Szymanski and Ross 2000 and Szymanski and Valletti 2005). This paper extends these studies, finding that sports leagues that practice promotion and relegation will have unambiguously higher aggregate spending on player talent than closed leagues. This will lower profits in the open league, but increase fan welfare.
Keywords: League Structure, League Spending, Team Strategy, Promotion and Relegation, Fan Welfare
JEL Classification: L83, P51
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation