Review of "Sports Are Worth How Much?!"

In a recent post, I mentioned that I love to read about the business side of sports, especially baseball. I recieved some feedback that politely called me boring for enjoying such a boring topic.  Well, this book is written with those people who feel that way in mind.  It presents some of the "boring" sports business topics in a fun, humorous way that is a quick read that any sports fan will enjoy.  Here is my review of "Sports are Worth How Much?!"

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