During the second half of the twentieth century, Major League Baseball and its affiliated minor leagues evolved from local and regional entities governing the play of America’s favorite pastime to national business organizations. The relocation of teams, league expansion, the advent of free agency and an influx of international players has made baseball big business, on an increasingly global scale.
Focusing on the last fifty years, this work examines the past and present commercial elements of organized baseball, emphasizing the dual roles—competitive sport and profitable business—which the sport must now fulfill. Twenty-five essays cover five areas integral to the economic side of baseball: business and finance, human resources, international relations, management and leadership and sports marketing. Detailed discussions of the redistribution of revenues, the history of player unionization, aggressive global marketing, strategies of franchise owners and an evaluation of fan costs, among other topics introduce the reader to the important issues and specific challenges professional baseball faces in an increasingly crowded—yet geographically expansive—sports marketplace. The work is also indexed.

Frank P. Jozsa, Jr., is professor emeritus of economics and business administration at Pfeiffer University in Charlotte, North Carolina. The author of numerous books about sports, he lives in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

Frank P. Jozsa, Jr.
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 292
Bibliographic Info: tables, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2006
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2534-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0900-3
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1
Introduction      5

PART I. Business and Finance
1. Affairs, Issues and Reforms in the Major Leagues      13
2. Finance and Major League Franchises      23
3. Replacing Ballparks: History and Consequences for MLB Teams      30
4. Relocating Teams in Professional Baseball      37
5. The Organization and Business of Minor League Baseball      46

PART II. Human Resources and Relationships
6. An Overview of Labor Relations      57
7. Does the Drug Culture Corrupt Baseball?      67
8. Major League Players’ Salaries and Team Payrolls      74
9. The Concentration and Status of Minorities in Baseball      83
10. Social Investment by Sports in Community Affairs      93

PART III. International Relations
11. Global Business Strategies and Markets      103
12. Organized Baseball in Foreign Countries      113
13. America’s Teams Demand Foreign Players      124
14. International Tournaments and Championship Teams      136
15. International Issues and Global Relations      147

PART IV. Management and Leadership
16. How Commissioners Govern Baseball      157
17. The Strategy and Prosperity of Franchise Owners      167
18. The Performances of Managers in Coaching Professional Teams      177
19. Team Dynasties and Leaders Since 1903      187
20. Expansion Teams in the Major Leagues      197

PART V. Sports Marketing
21. The Business of Marketing a League      205
22. Evaluating Big League Team Brands      215
23. Ticket Prices and Fan Costs      226
24. Marketing: Partnerships, Sponsorships and Licensing      235
25. The Programming and Broadcasting Business      243

Chapter Notes      253
Bibliography      269
Index      283