Beautiful Football, Beautiful Economics

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Beautiful Football, Beautiful Economics Beautiful Football, Beautiful Economics Ignacio Palacios‐Huerta London School of Economics Ikerbasque Foundation for Science at UPV/EHU X Congreso Iberoamericano de Economía del Deporte Barcelona, June 2019 RESUMEN EJECUTIVO • El enfoque económico es aplicable a todo el comportamiento humano. • Esto significa que cualquier tipo de datos acerca de la actividad humana es potencialmente útil para evaluar teorías económicas. • Y el deporte es, en muchos aspectos, un laboratorio perfecto para tratar de obtener intuiciones novedosas sobre la manera en la que los humanos tomamos decisiones y, en general, sobre el comportamiento humano. • Así pues, más allá del atractivo de los deportes como espectadores, su atractivo para los economistas es que los deportes pueden en ocasiones proporcionar la evidencia empírica necesaria para demostrar por primera vez la validez (o no) de distintas teorías económicas. • Este campo relativamente reciente de la ciencia económica está recibiendo una importante atención entre la literatura especializada. En esta charla se presentan distintos estudios que, tomando como base esta perspectiva, utilizan datos procedentes del deporte (en especial del futbol) para ayudar a la ciencia económica. Part I How Football Can Help Economics Part II … and viceversa: How Economics Can Help Football Part I: How Football Can Help Economics Galileo Galilei 1564‐1642 Sir Isaac Newton 1642‐1727 Galileo and Newton didn’t care aboutfruitsorstones… … they cared about the laws of the universe Thesameistrue in Economics: We do not care where the data comes from We care about good and unique data! “What distinguishes economics as a discipline from other disciplines is not its subject matter but its approach. The economic approach is applicable to all human behavior” Gary S. Becker (Nobel Economics 1991) This means that any type of data about human activity is potentially useful to evaluate economic theories. Sports are in many ways the perfect laboratory for testing economic theories: • There is an abundance of available data. • The objectives of the participants are often clear (e.g., score, win, enforce the rules). • The outcomes are extremely clear. • The stakes are typically high. • The subjects are professionals with experience. “If one of the attractions of sports is to see occasionally universal aspects of the human struggle in stark and dramatic forms, their attraction to economists is to illustrate universal economic principles in interesting and tractable ways” (Rosen and Sanderson, 2001). and “to test and even develop economic theories for the first time.” (Palacios‐Huerta, 2014). Examples: Chapters 1. Pelé Meets Von Neumann: Mixed strategies (in the field) 2. Vernon Smith Meets Messi: Mixed strategies (in the lab) 3. Lessons for Experimental design 4. Neuroconomics: Mixed strategies (in the brain) 5. Psychological Pressure in Competitive Situations 6. The Efficient Market Hypothesis in Financial Markets 7. Social Pressure as a determinant of Corruption 8. Incentives and effort 9. The economics of fear 10. Overcoming Emotions 11. Discrimination in Labor Markets Nash, von Neumann and the Penalty Kick John Nash (1950) generalizes the Minimax Theorem first proven by John von Neumann (1928): “every strategic situation has at least one equilibrium”. In some sense, it was surprising that the key cornerstone theorem in Game Theory, the Minimax Theorem was not verified with real data from human behavior until … 2003! With what data? With data from penalty kicks in football! A penalty in theory: i\j L R L πLL , 1 – πLL πLR , 1 – πLR R πRL , 1 ‐ πRL πRR , 1 ‐ πRR A penalty in reality: i\j kL 1 − kL gL 58, 42 95, 5 1 − gL 93, 7 70, 30 If we solve for the “equilibrium”: 100 100 pgR pgL 94.10 93.10 71.22 59.11 50 50 Prediction: 38,54% 0 1 0.3847 0.5 kL Frequencies predicted by the Nash equilibrium for kickers K 100 100 pkL pkR 94.10 93.10 71.22 59.11 50 50 Prediction: 41,99% 0 0.5 1 gL Frequencies predicted by the Nash equilibrium for goalkeepers G When we compare the theoretical predictions with the real life data (≈11.000 penalties), what do we find? gL 1 − gL kL 1 − kL . Frequencies Nash Equilibrium predicts: 41.99% 58.01% 38.54% 61.46% Frequencies observed in reality: ??? ??? ??? ??? When we compare the theoretical predictions with the real life data (≈11.000 penalties), what do we find? gL 1 − gL kL 1 − kL . Frequencies Nash Equilibrium predicts: 41.99% 58.01% 38.54% 61.46% Frequencies observed in reality: 42.31 ??? ??? ??? When we compare the theoretical predictions with the real life data (≈11.000 penalties), what do we find? gL 1 − gL kL 1 − kL . Frequencies Nash Equilibrium predicts: 41.99% 58.01% 38.54% 61.46% Frequencies observed in reality: 42.31 57.69 ??? ??? When we compare the theoretical predictions with the real life data (≈11.000 penalties), what do we find? gL 1 − gL kL 1 − kL . Frequencies Nash Equilibrium predicts: 41.99% 58.01% 38.54% 61.46% Frequencies observed in reality: 42.31 57.69 39.98 ??? When we compare the theoretical predictions with the real life data (≈11.000 penalties), what do we find? gL 1 − gL kL 1 − kL . Frequencies Nash Equilibrium predicts: 41.99% 58.01% 38.54% 61.46% Frequencies observed in reality: 42.31 57.69 39.98 60.02 Apples do not know the Law of Gravity, but they follow it … Apples do not know the Law of Gravity, but they follow it … … Football players do not know the Nash equilibrium, but they follow it On what Economics do for Football, for example: • Champions League Final 2008 in Moscow (Chelsea‐Manchester United), Soccernomics. • World Cup Final 2010 in South Africa (Holland‐Spain). • World Cup 2018 in Russia (England‐Colombia) • Champions League Final 2019 (Liverpool‐Spurs) • Nations League 2019 (England‐Switzerland) Vernon Smith Meets Messi in the Lab Locating Nash in the Brain From Neuroscience … … to Neuroeconomics Risk aversion Discounting (patience) Uncertainty aversion Backward induction (level k) Time inconsistency Where are “mixed strategies” located in the brain? Recall that these strategies require: 1. Equality of payoffsacrossstrategies 2. Randomization We scanned the brains of people playing a “penalti game” (London, Toledo) 1. Equality of payoffs across strategies z=22 y=30, 42, ‐ x= Activity in the left inferior prefrontal cortex related significantly to the ability to equate payoffs (as measured by the p‐value). Neural activity in this prefrontal region correlated with performance: higher activity in participants who more effectively succeeded in equating payoffs. 2. Randomization z=26 y=46, x=22, A contralateral, right inferior prefrontal region related to the ability to generate random sequences of choices. Neural activity in these regions was correlated with the performance score testing for the randomness of choices using the p‐value of the runs test. Neuroeconomics Goals and Incentives: Determining the exact location of the neural activity driving the different behavior and emotions may have gigantic applications in the near future (years?, decades?) Psychological Pressure in Dynamic Competitive Environments A beautiful setting: A penalty shoot‐out 1. Strictly competitive (zero‐sum) 2. Leading/lagging randomly determined 3. Professionals, high stakes, no role for risk (binary outcomes), etc Does it matter which team starts? Is it 50‐50? Are there psychological effects that make it different from 50‐50? First kicking team Second kicking 60.6 % team 39.4 % Period 1970‐2013 in all major national and international club and national team competitions (World Cup, European Cup, Champions League, national cups, etc). The coin plays a very important role: it assigns a 60‐40 = 20% greater chance to the team that kicks first. Question: What can we do to minimize the “unfair” role of the coin? Two teams: A y B Actual order: A B A B A B A B A B A B ‐? ? Two teams: A y B Actual order: A B A B A B A B A B A B ‐B A Two teams: A y B Actual order: A B A B A B A B A B A B BA ? ? ? ? Two teams: A y B Actual order: A B A B A B A B A B A B BA B A AB Two teams: A y B Actual order: A B A B A B A B A B A B BA B A AB ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Actual order: A B A B A B A B A B … A B BAB A AB BA AB A B BA … Note: This is a well known sequence in the natural sciences known as Prouhet‐Thue‐Morse. Hmmm... but this sequence is quite complicated. A simplification: Why not reverse A B only once and then repeat it? A B BA‐A B BA‐A B BA‐... Do you know any sport that uses this sequence? A B BA‐A B BA‐A B BA‐... Yes, tie‐breaks in tennis! • Note 1: In tennis ABBA generates … 50‐50! Alex Krumer et al (2018) • Note 2: Ongoing trials with ABBA in various UEFA, FIFA and EFL tournaments. The result so far? 34 shoot‐outs: 17‐17 • Note 3: ¿to what extent are emotions malleable? • Very difficult to study: both “rational” and “irrational” components. • The rational component may perhaps respond to incentives (if large enough). • But, is this 60‐40 “malleable”? • An interesting case in Argentina in 1988‐89: during the league, after a tied game teams had to play a penalty shoot‐out to get 1 extra point. First Second kicking kicking team team 49.5% 50.5% Nobel in Economics 2013 Theory and Empirics of Efficient(?) Financial Markets The theory of Efficient Financial Markets basically says: The price of an asset incorporates fully and immediately all the relevant news. That is, there are no delays and no partial adjustments: E(Pt+1/It)= Pt + θt con θt ~ N(0,ζ) Implications ‐ It is not possible to beat systematically the market ‐ You are compensated exclusively by the risk you take (things can go well or things can go badly).
Recommended publications
  • Messi's Achievements for the 2011-2012 Season
    Messi's Achievements for the 2011-2012 Season Individual Records Club (FC Barcelona) 1 The first player to score and assist in every trophy competition (6 in total) in one season. 2 The 2nd club player (after Pedro) to score in 6 official competitions in one season. 3 Leading Barça scorer in Spanish Supacopa with 8 goals. 4 Scored 35 La Liga home goals to set new club and Liga records. 5 With 14 La Liga hat-tricks, sets a new record surpassing César's 13. 6 2nd Barcelona player to win Pichichi twice (shares record with Quini). 7 Converted 10 penalties in La Liga to equal record set by Ronald Koeman (1989-1990). 8 Scored in 10 consecutive Liga games (in which he played) to equal Martin (1942/43) and Ronaldo (1996/97). 9 Equalled record set by Eto'o (2007-08) to score in 7 consecutive La Liga Away games. 10 At age 24, becomes La Liga's youngest player to score 150 goals to set club and Liga records. 11 With 214 games, beats Cocu's record (205 games) to become foreign player with most La Liga games for the club. 12 First player to score 8 hat-tricks in a single La Liga season. 13 15th October 2011: Surpasses Kubala’s 2nd place club record of 194 goals. (With a brace vs. Racing Santander at Camp Nou.) 14 29th October 2011: Scores the club's fastest La Liga hat-trick in 17 minutes (vs. Mallorca at Camp Nou.) 15 19th February 2012: Becomes the club's youngest player to play 200 La Liga games.
    [Show full text]
  • Live Athletic Bilbao Vs Real Sociedad Online Athletic Bilbao Vs Real Sociedad Stream
    Live Athletic Bilbao Vs Real Sociedad Online | Athletic Bilbao Vs Real Sociedad Stream Live Athletic Bilbao Vs Real Sociedad Online | Athletic Bilbao Vs Real Sociedad Stream 1 / 2 Basque Derby Ath Bilbao vs Real Sociedad New Orleans Watch Party. Saved by American Sports Saloon. 1. BilbaoDerbySoccer SeasonSoccer MatchAmerican .... How to watch the Real Sociedad vs Athletic Bilbao live stream video. Predictions, H2H, statistics and live score. La Liga 07/04/2021.. Dec 31, 2020 — Watch Live Stream Online Athletic Bilbao - Real Sociedad (31.12.20). Live Stream Football ... To leave comments, you have to register or login. Apr 28, 2015 — Athletic Bilbao Vs Real Sociedad (La Liga): Live stream, TV channels, Head to Head, Prediction, Lineups, Preview, Watch online, 28 April 2015 .... VsSocre provide live scores, results, predictions ,Head to Head,Lineups and mroe data for this game. Totally, Athletic Bilbao got 14 goals and Real Sociedad got .... Athletic Bilbao vs Real Sociedad live streaming: Watch Copa del Rey Final online, preview and predictions of match on Saturday 3 April 2021. Correct score. Live football, athletics, boxing and more, plus 24-hour news. Still enjoy the series and movies you love. Explore Showmax Pro. Recent Highlights. COSAFA Cup.. Apr 3, 2021 — Venue: Estadio La Cartuja, Seville, Spain. TV Channels: Not available in India Live Streaming: MEGOGO. Which broadcaster shows the final .... Apr 2, 2021 — Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Sociedad: Copa del Rey final live stream, TV channel, how to watch online, news, odds. By Sandra Herrera.. DERBI CLÁSICO | Real Madrid Atlético de Madrid | LaLiga 2003/04. Athletic Bilbao vs. Real Madrid.
    [Show full text]
  • Basque Soccer Madness a Dissertation Submitted in Partial
    University of Nevada, Reno Sport, Nation, Gender: Basque Soccer Madness A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Basque Studies (Anthropology) by Mariann Vaczi Dr. Joseba Zulaika/Dissertation Advisor May, 2013 Copyright by Mariann Vaczi All Rights Reserved THE GRADUATE SCHOOL We recommend that the dissertation prepared under our supervision by Mariann Vaczi entitled Sport, Nation, Gender: Basque Soccer Madness be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Joseba Zulaika, Advisor Sandra Ott, Committee Member Pello Salaburu, Committee Member Robert Winzeler, Committee Member Eleanor Nevins, Graduate School Representative Marsha H. Read, Ph. D., Dean, Graduate School May, 2013 i Abstract A centenarian Basque soccer club, Athletic Club (Bilbao) is the ethnographic locus of this dissertation. From a center of the Industrial Revolution, a major European port of capitalism and the birthplace of Basque nationalism and political violence, Bilbao turned into a post-Fordist paradigm of globalization and gentrification. Beyond traditional axes of identification that create social divisions, what unites Basques in Bizkaia province is a soccer team with a philosophy unique in the world of professional sports: Athletic only recruits local Basque players. Playing local becomes an important source of subjectivization and collective identity in one of the best soccer leagues (Spanish) of the most globalized game of the world. This dissertation takes soccer for a cultural performance that reveals relevant anthropological and sociological information about Bilbao, the province of Bizkaia, and the Basques. Early in the twentieth century, soccer was established as the hegemonic sports culture in Spain and in the Basque Country; it has become a multi- billion business, and it serves as a powerful political apparatus and symbolic capital.
    [Show full text]
  • A Business-Friendly Economy
    INVEST IN MADRID A BUSINESS-FRIENDLY ECONOMY 1 1 A BUSINESS FRIENDLY ECONOMY EXCEPTIONAL 2 HUMAN CAPITAL GEOSTRATEGIC LOCATION AND 3 WORLD CLASS INFRASTRUCTURE 4 LEADERSHIP IN INNOVATION 5 UNIQUE QUALITY OF LIFE 6 SUMMARY 2 A BUSINESS FRIENDLY ECONOMY 3 KEY FIGURES 1 SIZE 8,028 Km2 (1.6% of Spain) POPULATION 2018 6.5 million (14% of Spain), Most densely populated region in Spain (810 inhab/Km2) NOMINAL GDP 2018: 229,228 M.€ / 18.9% of Spain, 1st region in Spain REAL GDP GROWTH 2018 (y-o-y)*: +3.7% (vs +3.1% in Spain) (*adjusted for seasonal and calendar effects) PER CAPITA GDP 2017 •33,809€, 1st region in Spain •35% higher than the national average GDP BY SECTOR 2018 5% 8% 0% Services Industry Construction Agro 87% 4 Invest in Madrid Source: CRE (INE) ECONOMICECONOMIC DRIVERDRIVER OFOF SPAINEUROPE 11 REAL GDP GROWTH FORECAST % annual variation 3.5% 3.0% 2.9% SPAIN 2.5% 2.5% 2.5% € Zone 2.2% 2.0% GERMANY 1.8% 1.8%1.9% 1.7% FRANCE 1.5% 1.5% 1.51.6%% 1.6% 1.4% 1.3% ITALY 1.0% 1.0% 0.9% UK 0.5% 0.6% USA 0.0% 2018 2019F 2020F DESPITE THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN, IN THE COMING YEARS SPAIN IS GOING TO BE THE FASTEST GROWING OF THE BIG AND ADVANCED EUROPEAN ECONOMIES, ONLY THE US WILL SLIGHTLY PERFORM BETTER … MADRID REGION LEADS THIS TREND 5 Invest in Madrid Sources: CRE (INE), EC Forecast, and IMF WEO Forecast ECONOMIC DRIVER OF SPAIN 1 2019 REAL GDP GROWTH FORECASTS % annual variation 3.0% 2.5% 2.0% MAD +3.1% (2018) +2.8% (2019F) 1.5% BBVA Funcas BBVA 1.0% BBVA Funcas BBVA Funcas BBVA BBVA Funcas Funcas Funcas BBVA Funcas 0.5% 0.0% Spain Madrid Andalusia Catalonia Basque Valencia Navarre Country MADRID AN “ISLAND” OF GROWTH.
    [Show full text]
  • MLS As a Sports Product – the Prominence of the World's Game in the U.S
    MLS as a Sports Product – the Prominence of the World’s Game in the U.S. Stephen A. Greyser Kenneth Cortsen Working Paper 21-111 MLS as a Sports Product – the Prominence of the World’s Game in the U.S. Stephen A. Greyser Harvard Business School Kenneth Cortsen University College of Northern Denmark (UCN) Working Paper 21-111 Copyright © 2021 by Stephen A. Greyser and Kenneth Cortsen. Working papers are in draft form. This working paper is distributed for purposes of comment and discussion only. It may not be reproduced without permission of the copyright holder. Copies of working papers are available from the author. Funding for this research was provided in part by Harvard Business School. MLS as a Sports Product – the Prominence of the World’s Game in the U.S. April 8, 2021 Abstract The purpose of this Working Paper is to analyze how soccer at the professional level in the U.S., with Major League Soccer as a focal point, has developed over the span of a quarter of a century. It is worthwhile to examine the growth of MLS from its first game in 1996 to where the league currently stands as a business as it moves past its 25th anniversary. The 1994 World Cup (held in the U.S.) and the subsequent implementation of MLS as a U.S. professional league exerted a major positive influence on soccer participation and fandom in the U.S. Consequently, more importance was placed on soccer in the country’s culture. The research reported here explores the league’s evolution and development through the cohesion existing between its sporting and business development, as well as its performance.
    [Show full text]
  • Livereal Madrid Vs Athletic Bilbao 1 En Ligne Link 2
    LiveReal Madrid Vs Athletic Bilbao | :1 En Ligne Link 2 LiveReal Madrid Vs Athletic Bilbao | :1 En Ligne Link 2 1 / 3 2 / 3 Join Reverso, it's free and fast! ... Hooliganism and disorder at football matches are essentially criminal justice, rather than ... We can also broadcast the football matches or other competitive sports. ... that highlights of football matches may only be broadcast in a two-hour block. ... Expression index: 1-400, 401-800, 801-1200.. Real MadridTo connect with Watch Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid live, log in or ... Super Cup when Real Madrid defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1 over two legs.. 6 days ago — Play at the world's leading Online Casino - PokerStars Casino ... range of table and live games and guaranteed jackpots ➤ Join . ... To enter any Star Poker Tournament, you must be aged 18 years or over and a member of The Star Club. ... football score live real madrid vs atletico madrid · formula 1 winner .... Real Madrid 4 0 Copenhagen Ronaldo And Di Maria Shine At Home. ... Champions League: Real Madrid looks to bounce Benfica Vs Paris SG 2-1 All ... Posts about Real Madrid vs FC Copenhage live stream Watch live Real ... start at 2.45 p.m. ET and can be watched online through live stream via the link provided below.. Real Madrid Vs Barcelona - El Clásico Rivalry | Results | Records : El Clásico "The ... Along with Athletic Bilbao, they are the only clubs in La Liga to have never been ... Pepe made it 2-1 to Real Madrid via a corner, heading home powerfully after ... Here is live streaming broadcast link Real Madrid vs Barcelona Live HD ..
    [Show full text]
  • China's Approach to Tackling New Virus Lauded
    Established October 1895 See inside Monday February 10, 2020 $1 VAT Inclusive ACCESSCONTINUING education FOR ALL must not only be made for those academically inclined, but for all. Making this statement, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Senator Dr. Romel Springer, said continuing education must foster sustainable and inclusive economic growth, noting this was achievable if areas of focus were linked to the needs of society. “It is therefore absolutely essential that we conduct a critical analysis of our societal, social and economic needs, with the intention of creating programmes which identify and hone the requisite skills to address the challenges we face as a people here in Barbados,” he said. “While the courses offered are varied, there is still some scope, once resources permit, for the inclusion of more general interest and skill-based subjects. This would ensure a greater balance between those areas that currently target teachers and prospective teachers, and those that can target persons who may not want to enter into the teaching profession, but may want to enter the industry,” he stressed. At the time, he was delivering the feature address to the 2020 Graduating Class of the Top Male Student, Bradley Holder, receives his official document from Chair of the Erdiston Teachers’ Training College, Dr. Sylvia EDUCATION on Page 3 Henry. China’s approach to tackling new virus lauded THE executive of the May last year, he commended support services have been governor noted that there is discussion panels by leading Association for Barbados the Chinese government on put in place.
    [Show full text]
  • Paul Sarbanes Awarded Greece's Highest Honor
    ✽ CMYK CMYK ✽ O C V ΓΡΑΦΕΙ ΤΗΝ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ Bringing the news ΤΟΥ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΣΜΟΥ to generations of ΑΠΟ ΤΟ 1915 The National Herald Greek Americans A WEEKLY GREEK AMERICAN PUBLICATION c v www.thenationalherald.com VOL. 11, ISSUE 555 May 31, 2008 $1.00 GREECE: 1.75 EURO Archbishop Demetrios Paul Sarbanes Awarded Greece’s Highest Honor Meets Church and Political Former U.S. Senator Honored with Order of Leaders in Moscow Visit The Phoenix Cross By National Herald Staff such a deep commitment to the Or- By George Kakarnias Special to The National Herald thodox Faith. Special to The National Herald In the evening, the Archbishop BOSTON – Archbishop Demetrios and the delegation were guests of ATHENS – Former U.S. Senator of America concluded a six day offi- Patriarch Alexios at a concert and Paul Sarbanes addressed an event cial visit in Moscow with meetings performance in the Auditorium of organized by the "Constantine and visits of the high ranking eccle- Christ the Savior Cathedral. The Karamanlis Institute for Democra- siastical and political leaders of performance, including music, po- cy" at a central Athens hotel on Russia. Archbishop Demetrios visit- etry and dance, were a continua- Monday, May 26, during a visit to ed Russia upon the invitation of Pa- tion of the celebration of Slavic Let- Greece where he was also be- triarch Alexios of Moscow and All ters Day. stowed Greece's highest honor, the Russia. According to News Releases Before the official visit to the Order of the Phoenix Cross, by the issued by the Greek Orthodox Arch- parliament of the Russian Federa- President of the Republic Karolos diocese of America, Archbishop tion, the Archbishop, accompanied Papoulias.
    [Show full text]
  • Broadcasting La Liga
    Munich Personal RePEc Archive Broadcasting La Liga Bergantiños, Gustavo and Moreno-Ternero, Juan D. Universidade de Vigo, Universidad Pablo de Olavide 16 December 2020 Online at https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/104750/ MPRA Paper No. 104750, posted 17 Dec 2020 10:57 UTC Broadcasting La Liga∗ Gustavo Berganti˜nos† Juan D. Moreno-Ternero‡ December 14, 2020 Abstract We study the sharing of revenues raised from the collective sale of broadcasting rights for La Liga, which is strongly regulated by the Spanish government since 2015. Regulation imposes, somewhat surprisingly, that lower bounds and performance measures outweigh the capability (of each club) to generate resources from selling broadcasting rights. Also, more disturbingly, the latter dimension cannot be rationalized by a sharing rule with solid normative grounds. JEL numbers: D63, C71, Z20. Keywords: La Liga, broadcasting rights, sport leagues, resource allocation. ∗We thank Alex Krumer, James Reade, Stephan Szymanski, as well as participants at the Reading Online Sport Economics Seminars (ROSES), for helpful comments and suggestions. Financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economics and Competitiveness, through the research projects ECO2017-82241-R and ECO2017- 83069-P, and Xunta of Galicia through grant ED431B 2019/34 is gratefully acknowledged. †ECOSOT, Universidade de Vigo. ‡Department of Economics, Universidad Pablo de Olavide 1 1 Introduction For sports clubs, the sale of broadcasting and media rights is currently their biggest source of revenue. We have seen huge (and somewhat controversial) efforts to resume competitions worldwide in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic’s first wave in order to secure broad- casting contracts (in spite of having empty stadiums).
    [Show full text]
  • History, Nationalism and Identity. Exploring Football in Spain
    History, nationalism and identity. Exploring football in Spain Summary This book attempts to show how football in Spain and history of the country intertwine in the context of nationalism and identity. In Span- ish football, the past of the country is reconstructed and revindicated at each step. Spanish, Catalan and Basque nationalisms find the sport an ideal space in which their presence can be manifested. The stadiums thus become a singular safety valve, allowing supporters to externalize their views and convictions. For many of the fans, football teams become a mainstay of patriotic sentiments and a brand around which one’s iden- tity can be determined and fostered, whether local, regional or national. Matches played by Spain’s national team and such clubs as FC Barcelona, Real Madrid C.F., Espanyol Barcelona or Athletic Bilbao reveal profound identity issues affecting Spanish society. At the outset, the author outlines the peculiarities of Spanish football, explaining how it relates to history, nationalism and identity. For instance, one of the highlighted characteristics is that although Spaniards display strong attachment to local teams, it nevertheless co-exists with supporting the foremost clubs in the country, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Using the example of football in Spain, the author also challenges the claim that contemporary football has entered the post-national era. Chapter One focuses on the phenomenon of the Spanish national team which, for the sake of political correctness, is denoted by the neol- ogism La Roja, a reference to the colours worn by its players. Showing how the national team has struggled with Spanish identity, the author deliberates whether the appellation La Roja is an expression of strength or weakness of Spanish football and, by extension, of the Spanish society.
    [Show full text]
  • Man City Move Top As Manu Flop Once Again
    SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2018 16 English Premier League Arsenal 2 0 Watford Everton 3 0 Fulham Man City move top as Huddersfield 0 2 Tottenham Manchester City 2 0 Brighton Newcastle 0 2 Leicester West Ham 3 1 Manchester United ManU flop once again Wolves 2 0 Southampton Chelsea 1 1 Liverpool London, United Kingdom Mourinho in midweek and a Playing today frosty training ground exchange Cardiff v Burnley (1500 GMT) anchester City took between the pair on Wednesday. advantage of Liver- However, the French World Spanish La Liga Mpool’s late kick-off Cup winner failed to make an at Chelsea yesterday to move impact before he was substitut- Barcelona 1 1 Athletic Bilbao 1 top of the Premier League as ed 20 minutes from time. Real Sociedad 0 1 Valencia Manchester United slumped to Marcus Rashford came off a third defeat in seven league the bench to briefly give United Eibar v Sevilla (1630), games, 3-1 at West Ham. hope by pulling a goal back, but Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (1845) United now trail their city just three minutes later Marko Playing today rivals by nine points in 10th Arnautovic exposed more poor and could trail Liverpool by 11 United defending to seal West Huesca v Girona (10:00), Villarreal v Real Valladolid (14:15), should Jurgen Klopp’s men con- Ham’s first home league win of Levante v Alaves (16:30), Real Betis v Leganes (18:45) tinue their 100 percent record the season. at Stamford Bridge. English Championship City showed the gulf in class City slickers Birmingham 2 2 Ipswich between both sides of Man - City face a big trip
    [Show full text]
  • Using a Laplacian Eigenmaps Clustering Approach to Create the New European Football Super League AJ
    Bisecting for selecting: using a Laplacian eigenmaps clustering approach to create the new European football Super League A. J. Bond1 & C. B. Beggs1 1Institute for Sport, Physical Activity and Leisure, Carngergie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom. Alexander John Bond (Corresponding Author) 215 Cavendish Hall, Headingley Campus, Leeds Beckett University, LS6 3QS. [email protected] Clive Beggs, Faifax Hall, Headingley Campus, Leeds Beckett University, LS6 3QS. [email protected] Bisecting for selecting: using a Laplacian eigenmaps clustering approach to create the new European football Super League Abstract We use European football performance data to select teams to form the proposed European football Super League, using only unsupervised techniQues. We first used random forest regression to select important variables predicting goal difference, which we used to calculate the Euclidian distances between teams. Creating a Laplacian eigenmap, we bisected the Fielder vector to identify the five major European football leagues' natural clusters. Our results showed how an unsupervised approach could successfully identify four clusters based on five basic performance metrics: shots, shots on target, shots conceded, possession, and pass success. The top two clusters identify those teams who dominate their respective leagues and are the best candidates to create the most competitive elite super league. Keywords: OR in sports; Selection; Unsupervised; Spectral clustering; Laplacian
    [Show full text]