New Book by Stefan Szymanski and Andrew Zimbalist

Next month, I will be reviewing on Sports Law Blog a new book by Stefan Szymanski and Andrew Zimbalist: National Pastime: How Americans Play Baseball and the Rest of the World Plays Soccer. In the book, Professors Szymanski and Zimbalist explore why baseball is so popular in the United States, while soccer is so popular everywhere else. In doing so, they evaluate the contrasting organizational structures that run the two sports. They then conclude with recommendations on how both sports can learn from each other.

I'm looking forward to reviewing this book. It's a fascinating topic, and certainly the authors are two of the most prominent sports economists around. Stefan Szymanski is professor of economics and strategy at the Tankaka Business School, Imperial College London, and has written two books on soccer: Winners and Losers: The Business Strategy of Football (Penguin, 2000) and Il Business del Calcio (Egea, 2004). Andrew Zimbalist is Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics at Smith College. He has published fifteen books and has consulted for players associations, governmental bodies, cities, owners, corporations, and international development organizations. His most recent book is May the Best Team Win: Baseball Economics and Public Policy (Brookings, 2003).

Look out for the review next month. In the meantime, if you are interested in picking up National Pastime, check out this link.

Posted in: