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on Sports and Economics |
| By: | Daryna Grechyna; Viktor Grechyn |
| Abstract: | This paper analyzes the inequalities and convergence across countries using data on the top 100 players in chess and tennis. We explore the impact of time trends and exogenous global shocks on countries' representation in the top 100 players' lists in a manner akin to a natural experiment, comparing chess and tennis while distinguishing among different country income groups. The results indicate the presence of conditional convergence across countries in their representations in the top 100 chess players, but not in the top 100 tennis players. The availability of internet contributed to the reduction of inequalities in chess, a mind-dominated sport, but not in tennis, a wealth-dominated sport. Negative economic shocks, such as the Great Recession and the Covid pandemic, exacerbated the inequalities in tennis, but not in chess. |
| Keywords: | economic convergence, income inequality, global shocks, FIDE chess, ATP tennis, sports. |
| JEL: | D63 O10 Z20 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11796 |
| By: | Arunava Patra; Joy Das Bairagya; Sagar Chakraborty |
| Abstract: | The symbiotic relationship between the frameworks of classical game theory and evolutionary game theory is well-established. However, evolutionary game theorists have mostly tapped into the classical game of complete information where players are completely informed of all other players' payoffs. Of late, there is a surge of interest in eco-evolutionary interactions where the environment's state is changed by the players' actions which, in turn, are influenced by the changing environment. However, in real life, the information about the true environmental state must pass through some noisy channel (like usually imperfect sensory apparatus of the players) before it is perceived by the players: The players naturally are prone to sometimes perceive the true state erroneously. Given the uncertain perceived environment, the players may adopt bet-hedging kind of strategies in which they play different actions in different perceptions. In a population of such ill-informed players, a player would be confused about the information state of her opponent, and an incomplete information situation akin to a Bayesian game surfaces. In short, we contemplate possibility of natural emergence of symbiotic relationship between the frameworks of Bayesian games and eco-evolutionary games when the players are equipped with inefficient sensory apparatus. Herein, we illustrate this connection using a setup of infinitely large, well-mixed population of players equipped with two actions for exploiting a resource (the environment) at two different rates so that the resource state evolves accordingly. The state of the resource impacts every player's decision of playing particular action. We investigate continuous state environment in the presence of a Gaussian noisy channel. Employing the formalism of replicator dynamics, we find that noisy information can be effective in preventing resource from going extinct. |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2504.02399 |
| By: | Paul B. Kantor; Fred S. Roberts |
| Abstract: | Can randomness be better than scheduled practices, for securing an event at a large venue such as a stadium or entertainment arena? Perhaps surprisingly, from several perspectives the answer is "yes." This note examines findings from an extensive study of the problem, including interviews and a survey of selected venue security directors. That research indicates that: randomness has several goals; many security directors recognize its potential; but very few have used it much, if at all. Some fear they will not be able to defend using random methods if an adversary does slip through security. Others are concerned that staff may not be able to perform effectively. We discuss ways in which it appears that randomness can improve effectiveness, ways it can be effectively justified to those who must approve security processes, and some potential research or regulatory advances. |
| Date: | 2025–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2503.22763 |
| By: | Antonio Cabrales; Lorenzo Ductor; Ericka Rascón-Ramírez; Ismael Rodriguez-Lara |
| Abstract: | Women often find themselves in teams that hinder their productivity and earnings. We analyze the role of homophily and gender stereotypes in preferences for team formation and examine the effect of information on changing these preferences. We find that women are expected to perform better in female-type tasks (such as text and emotion-recognition). However, people prefer forming teams with their same gender. Our findings suggest that information can mitigate -but it does not eliminate- the influence of homophily on team formation. |
| Keywords: | gender differences, expectations, collaboration, network formation, team production |
| JEL: | C91 D03 D60 D81 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11706 |