The Baseball Business

Baseball Business: Pursuing Pennants and Profits in Baltimore

Draws on the experiences of the Baltimore Orioles to trace the development of the baseball business since 1950

"The book's objective is to define, implement and enforce a working model for the business of baseball management discipline and classic baseball philosophy that is supported by economics, finance, and baseball sabermetrics instead of the currently popular replacement of the discipline and philosophy with rotisserie-like use of sabermetrics." - p.8

Do you want to know how your business can score a home run? Earl Bell, successful businessman, entrepreneur, and Little League coach is just the coach you need to take your business to the Major Leagues. Now for the first time, Earl Bell reveals his coaching secrets in Winning in Baseball and Business, a book that uses metaphor to show that everything you need to know in business you can learn from lessons in youth baseball. The book is divided into two sections the first about Little League, the second about how to apply baseball principles to your business. Earl's love of both games baseball and business shine through as he talks about strategies, goals, how his Little League team achieved hall of fame results, and how you can do the same for your business. As an added bonus, twenty stories of successful entrepreneurs from teenagers to historical business icons are included as inspirational models. After reading Winning in Baseball and Business, your game will never be the same.

Marvin Miller became the first executive director of the newly formed Major League Baseball Players Association. He recounts his experience in dealing with club owners and his success in winning a new role for the players. He helped virtually end the system that bound an athlete to one team forever and thereby raised salaries enormously. formed

An extraordinary history of the negro leagues and the economic disruptions of desegregating a sport

There are many sports-related books about what happens on the playing field, but few are written about the equally interesting stories of what happens on the business side. Why acquire a professional sports team? What goes into the branding, marketing and entertainment that make some teams successful, and others not? What are the challenges that managers and staff face? Are there valuable lessons from the major and minor leagues for university, high school and other amateur sports programs? How do sports teams generate a profit? While the examples are drawn from the business of baseball, the lessons are applicable to other sports and many retail businesses.

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.

Examines the many economic pressures exerted on professional baseball, and measures their effects both on the field and in the ticket office

The crack of the bat, the cheering of fans and the agility and athleticism of the players are all characteristics that many people fondly associate with Major League Baseball. However, the players' strike and owners' lockout in 1994 and 1995 brought the game under great scrutiny, revealing a side of baseball that is not admirable, honorable, or enjoyable. Nor is this darker side of "America's Pastime" a recent development. The majority of problems in today's Major Leagues are a continuation of ills that have plagued organized baseball since its inception. This book examines the business of baseball, addressing its most significant problems and proposing solutions. It covers some of Major League Baseball's greatest players and their effect on the game and its business. Among the many topics analyzed are the roles of franchise owners, commissioners, and players' unions in organized baseball. The book also examines Major League ballparks and baseball fans, and considers how they are relevant to baseball as a game and a business.