You do not have to be an economist or a sports fan to enjoy this book - I am living proof! It's written in a clear and engaging way. I still use examples from this book in conversations with my sporty and economically-minded friends and they always blossom into fruitful discussions that even I can follow. This is a great way to be introduced to economic ideas.

I really wanted to like this book. It's a great premise--learn economics through talking about sports! I love sports! But while I admittedly read a pre-print copy, this book didn't feel ready for publication. From copyediting errors to repetitive paragraphs that seemed as if a good editor would have removed, this book felt like a draft. I was disappointed.

A very good book. As someone who is A) an NBA fanatic, who follows all the various trade and deal action, but also B) doesn't understand some of the more complex economics involved, I found this book answered a fair few of my question. It's well-written, accessible, and engaging throughout. (I also bought this for my father-in-law, who is an economist, and he also really enjoyed -- so, it works for a variety of levels of knowledge.)

Definitely recommended.

Quick read in the Freakonomics and Scorecasting mold. Nine essays, all related to the world of sports and how economics ties in to that world.

Bonus points for the author, Paul Oyer, being a fan of the Effectively Wild podcast.

Thank you to NetGalley and Yale University Press for the reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

There have been many books published about the business of sport – just about all sports – in various formats, but this one was very different and very informative. Written in several short chapter on various sports topics, this book by Paul Oyer is not only one in which a reader will learn about a different line of thinking for economics and sports, but will also be entertained as well.

While I thought the entire book was good, the best part came at the beginning when Oyer explained how some of the action on the field of play comes from theories of economics. His example of why Michael Jordan passed up the shot that would win the 1997 NBA championship for his Chicago Bulls and instead passed the ball to Steve Kerr who hit that shot is brilliant in how it ties economic thinking and the risk versus reward logic worked for that instant. Similar scenarios and different theories are sprinkled throughout the book.

However, the bulk of the stories are written about the topics that one would expect in a book on economics and sports – ticket sales and brokers, publicly financed stadiums, and why cities are not as excited to host the Olympic Games or the FIFA World Cup like they used to be. Oyer writes about these topics in a manner that anyone who has an interest in either topic will enjoy but also in plain language without a lot of advanced vocabulary in either sports or economics. This combination, plus the variety of topics addressed, made this a book that will be enjoyed by a wide variety of readers.

I wish to thank Yale University Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't put this book down.

It combines a few of my favorite topics: sports, business, prices, and economics.

The chapter on tickets and ticket resale will come in handy professionally and I'd just really recommend this book to anyone that likes sports, economics, or sports business.

Really a great book.

I'd be interested in trying an audio version of this. Both the subject and format seemed to lend themselves more to a podcast than a book. Given that I've consumed a lot of podcasts and books similar to this, I was happy to find new topics and takes - if you like this kind of thing it's worth checking out this new entry.

Lots of interesting insights, looking at sports & the business of sports from a different perspective. In some chapters his examples & explanations were not clear, but overall his insights were excellent.

I enjoy books that take economic concepts and apply them to something relatable in everyday life. Paul Oyer's book certainly does that, as he looks at how economic concepts are, or can be, applied to sports. He includes a lot of interesting facts and anecdotes. I studied economics as an undergrad so this is a particular area of interest for me, but I think it is definitely written for the lay person and described clearly.