ECON 210 - Economics of Sports

Credit Hours: 3
Lecture Hours: 3
Laboratory (or Other) Hours: 0

General Education Code(s): 23SS
Prerequisite(s): Any college level economics course or permission of the instructor
Corequisite(s): None
Restriction(s): None

This course introduces students to the principal concepts and tools of analysis used in traditional and non-traditional orthodox economics. The application of these principles to decision making by consumers, employees, businesses, and government in the world of professional and intercollegiate sports is examined. Economic factors affect the behavior of participants in sport markets - owners, managers, players, and the media - just as they affect the behavior of individuals in other markets. The sports industry is used as a vehicle to explain and understand economic concepts. Topics discussed include league structure, team decision-making, labor-relations, incentive structures, free agency, salary caps, and stadium financing and the role of public policy. Key course objectives include an appreciation of economics as a way of thinking, and recognizing the impact of economic decision making on daily life.

Student Learning Outcomes of the Course: The General Education requirement for Social Sciences is satisfied by ECON 210. To meet this General Education requirement, students will be able to:

describe major concepts and theories of at least one discipline in the social sciences; and
demonstrate an understanding of the methods social scientists use to explore social phenomena.

Course-specific SLOs of ECON 210:

Show proficiency in understanding and applying the basic axioms/principles of at least one social science to demonstrate the explanatory power of the respective discipline by demonstrating a critical knowledge of its major concepts, models and issues;(knowledge of major concepts, models and issues in at least one discipline)
Demonstrate a critical knowledge of two or more major theories/models of human behavior in one or more of the social sciences. (critical thinking- analyze and evaluate arguments)
Display an appreciation of, and basic competence in, the use of mathematical tools and analyses as these apply to the social sciences.
Exhibit an understanding of the methods used by social scientists, demonstrate an ability to develop a hypothesis related to observable human behavior in at least one discipline, and use data appropriate to the discipline to test a hypothesis.
(understanding of data collection, observation, and hypothesis development, interpretive analysis) (critical thinking- develop well-reasoned arguments)