Title/Author:
“Sports
are Worth How Much?! And Other Questions in Sports. Answered. (Kind of) ” by
Justin Bedi
Tags:
Football
(American), baseball, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, professional, business
Publish
date:
July 1,
2018
Length:
178 pages
Rating:
4 of 5
stars (very good)
Review:
The business of professional sports is a topic that
many sports fans view as a necessary evil, but is something that is boring to
read or discuss. This light, entertaining book by Justin Bedi is just the type
that would appeal to these readers.
Covering a wide range of topics, from ticket prices
to the argument that public funding for sports arenas and facilities does help
local economies, Bedi writes about the topic in an easy-to-digest format with
healthy doses of humor. This isn’t to say that it isn’t a serious book. Bedi
has done his research and presents his material to support his findings and
opinions in a clear and concise manner.
Here are two examples of the type of research and
presentation that he writes in order to support his theses. On the
aforementioned topic of public funding, he uses the argument that professional
sports franchises will enhance the local economy for a city. He uses Los
Angeles as an example, citing the impact of professional sports on the greater
Los Angeles area in 2013 at just over four billion dollars and citations for
not only this but other business opportunities generated by sports.
For another controversial topic, the use of
performance enhancing drugs in sports, he favors much more proliferation of
information on the substances and the uses, and also believes more
consideration should be allowed for the athlete’s point of view. He believes this is a more nuanced approach
and to me, this is a refreshing viewpoint, much more than the “drugs are bad,
so are the people who use them” refrain.
Marketing superstars, the explosion of sports-themed
video games, a look at why soccer has not caught on in the United States and
Canada as it has in the rest of the world – these are just a few more of the
many topics Bedi covers. As a reader who
likes reading about many different sports, this was excellent as it covers a
wide range. While these topics cannot be fully covered in only 178 pages, this
is a very good book for those readers who want to learn a little more
information on a variety of sports business topics.
Book
Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)
Buying Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Sports-Worth-Questions-Sports-Answered-ebook/dp/B07F62X581?_encoding=UTF8&redirect=true&ref_=ku_mi_rw_edp