|
on Sports and Economics |
| By: | Gregory-Smith, Ian (University of Sheffield); Bryson, Alex (University College London); Gomez, Rafael (University of Toronto) |
| Abstract: | We examine the role that racial discrimination plays in the decision to retain or release an employee. Our empirical setting allows us to separate the retention decision from the wage decision. For the first four years of a player’s career, wages are mechanically determined and players are under a restricted ‘rookie’ contract, during which they can be released without cost. Players who survive in the league beyond four years receive a large uptick in their remuneration upon signing their first ‘free-agency’ contract. Consequently, marginal decisions over employment retention during the rookie contract have substantial implications for earnings realised over a player’s career. We find subtle but significant differences in retention rates between Black and White players (approximately 3 percentage points) that can’t be explained by a comprehensive set of individual characteristics including their productivity. We also show that traditional wage gap estimates, which appear to show equal earnings between Black and White players conditional upon playing position and productivity, mask underlying disparities in career earnings that become apparent when adjusting for these unequal retention rates. |
| Keywords: | retention, wages, discrimination |
| JEL: | J71 J31 |
| Date: | 2025–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18079 |
| By: | Flynn, James (Miami University); Meyers-Richter, Noah (Miami University); Nencka, Peter (Miami University) |
| Abstract: | Sleep deprivation imposes significant public health and economic burdens. While researchers studying events like daylight saving time have quantified the impacts of population-wide sleep shifts, less is known about the consequences of acute, voluntary, and recreation-driven sleep loss. This paper investigates this gap by studying the 2002 FIFA World Cup, hosted in South Korea and Japan. The extreme time difference meant that US-based fans sacrificed significant sleep to watch live matches. We track fatal car accidents in areas with large German populations on days when the German national team played early morning games. Areas with greater than 30% German heritage experienced increases in fatal car accidents of 35% relative to control areas after German games. The effects are dose-dependent and rise as the share of the German population increases. Our results are larger for crucial tournament games and non-alcohol-related incidents, consistent with sleep-deprived driving. Effects are driven by male drivers, mirroring World Cup viewer demographics. Placebo tests using the 2006 World Cup, where no games were played during normal U.S. sleeping hours, confirm that sleep disruption, not the sporting event itself, drives our findings. |
| Keywords: | impaired driving, fatal car accidents, sleep loss |
| JEL: | I12 R41 D62 |
| Date: | 2025–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18050 |
| By: | Johnny Ducking; Pete Groothuis; Joseph Nation |
| Abstract: | Using panel data on National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I womenÕs college basketball head coaches, we examine if there is a difference in tenure length based on the race and gender of the head coach. First, we find that athletic success is the main reason for a lower probability of exiting their coaching position. Second, we find that female head coaches have a lower probability of exiting a coaching position than male head coaches after controlling for performance. Third, we find that the race of the head coach has no influence on the exit probability of the head coach. We explore if this difference in exit probabilities is due to a difference in outside opportunities of males, a difference in gender matched preferences for mentoring, or discrimination against one of the groups. Key Words: NCAA womenÕs basketball, discrimination, race, gender, performance |
| JEL: | D |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:apl:wpaper:25-06 |
| By: | Kenneth Colombe; Alex Krumer; Rosa Lavelle-Hill; Tim Pawlowski |
| Abstract: | This paper examines whether increased awareness can affect racial bias and colorism. We exploit a natural experiment from the widespread publicity of Price and Wolfers (2010), which intensified scrutiny of racial bias in men's basketball officiating. We investigate refereeing decisions in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), an organization with a long-standing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We apply machine learning techniques to predict player race and to measure skin tone. Our empirical strategy exploits the quasi-random assignment of referees to games, combined with high-dimensional fixed effects, to estimate the relationship between referee-player racial and skin tone compositions and foul-calling behavior. We find no racial bias before the intense media coverage. However, we find evidence of overcorrection, whereby a player receives fewer fouls when facing more referees from the opposite race and skin tone. This overcorrection wears off over time, returning to zero-bias levels. We highlight the need to consider baseline levels of bias before applying any prescription with direct relevance to policymakers and organizations given the recent discourse on DEI. |
| Date: | 2025–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2508.10585 |