American Sports Empire: How the Leagues Breed Success

AMERICAN SPORTS EMPIRE: HOW THE LEAGUES BREED SUCCESS Frank P. Jozsa, Jr. PRAEGER AMERICAN SPORTS EMPIRE AMERICAN SPORTS EMPIRE HOW THE LEAGUES BREED SUCCESS Frank P.Jozsa, Jr. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Jozsa, Frank P., 1941– American sports empire : how the leagues breed success / Frank P. Jozsa, Jr. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 1-56720-559-3 (alk. paper) 1. Professional sports––United States. I. Title. GV583.J65 2003 796’.0973––dc21 2002029759 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright © 2003 by Frank P. Jozsa, Jr. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2002029759 ISBN: 1-56720-559-3 First published in 2003 Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.praeger.com Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 In memory of John J. Guthrie, Jr., Ph.D. Contents Preface ix Introduction xiii 1. Leagues 1 2. Teams 39 3. Owners 63 4. Players 89 5. Media 117 6. Fans 149 7. Government 177 Conclusion 199 Appendix 213 Selected Bibliography 217 Index 235 Preface Most fans become infatuated with and entertained by professional team sports at an early age. Generally, this experience occurs for kids when professional games are broadcast on cable and television networks or when a child accompa- nies his parents on game day to a ballpark for minor or major league baseball, an arena for basketball, a stadium for football or an ice rink for hockey. For me, this kinship with and addiction to professional sports began when my father drove us each year from Terre Haute, Indiana, to St. Louis, Missouri, to root for the baseball Cardinals. After the game ended, time was devoted to seek the au- tograph of the team’s star and my favorite player, Stan “The Man” Musial. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, it was fun to record game statistics and cheer when great ballplayers such as the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Roy Campanella and the New York Giants’ Willie Mays competed against Musial and his teammates in a doubleheader at Sportsman Park—renamed Busch Stadium—on a hot Satur- day afternoon in July. After an early initiation to big-time sports, the dream of some teenagers and young adults is to diligently practice and eventually become a player for a professional team. Even though the probability of joining the Cincinnati Reds, Indi- ana Pacers, Chicago Bears or New York Rangers is infinitesimal, a skilled athlete normally participates on elementary, middle and high school teams to earn a college scholarship or attract the attention of a professional scout. After moderate success as a catcher/pitcher from Little League through college, it was my ambi- tion to play professional baseball. Because of injuries and other factors besides luck, this opportunity faded. Nevertheless, when my career switched to academics, professional team sports became a challenge to research and study from a business and economic perspective. x Preface The ongoing effort to combine academics and sports resulted in Relocating Teams and Expanding Leagues in Professional Sports: How the Major Leagues Respond to Market Conditions, which was published in 1999 by Quorum Books. As the book’s co-author,it was gratifying to reflect and write about how a sports franchise owner decides when and where to move his club and how the leagues make business decisions to approve or deny the entry of new teams. The gene- sis of that book was the topic of my Ph.D. dissertation, “An Economic Analysis of Franchise Relocation and League Expansion in Professional Sports, 1950–1975,” which was completed at Georgia State University in 1977.Twenty- five years later, my second book will further contribute to the literature about the behavior, conduct and history of this unique industry in America. American Sports Empire is a title that will appeal not only to avid and casual sports fans, but also to coaches, managers and players, business journalists and historians and to the administrators and owners of minor and major league professional sports franchises in the United States and elsewhere. Essentially, the book’s seven chapters emphasize and highlight how the various leagues—Amer- ican and National Leagues in Major League Baseball, National Basketball Asso- ciation, National Football League and National Hockey League—became the organizational models and prominent parent groups in professional team sports. Related to how each sports league originated, matured and prospered as de- scribed in Chapter 1, Chapters 2 through 7 focus, respectively, on the distinctive features and roles of teams, owners, players, the media industry, fans and governments. To support the historical background and analysis of sports, athletes, events and organizations between the late 1800s and 2002, selected chapters in American Sports Empire contain tables that measure the performances of teams and players, the strategies of owners and the media, and the commitment and loyalty of fans. The majority of the tabled data, facts and other information was extracted from government sources, from sports articles in books, magazines, newspapers and research studies, and from the current World Wide Web sites of leagues and teams. Generally,wherever appropriate the sports events, player and team performances, and respective seasons varied based on which issue or topic was discussed. In American Sports Empire, several important issues and problems that in- volve professional team sports are revealed and updated. Based on the seasons studied, these matters include whether competitive imbalance or parity existed within each sports leagues, which clubs and players excelled, how businessmen as franchise owners fail and succeed, what salaries players earned, why the media industry promotes and strengthens professional sports, what player- and team- specific attributes fans admire and dislike, and which governments and taxpayer groups subsidized the construction of arenas and stadiums. In sum, according to the research performed for this book the future business prospects, entertain- ment value and growth of each league in the twenty-first century will depend on the leadership of the respective commissioners and franchise owners, and on Preface xi interteam competitiveness, player performances, media companies, fan loyalties and government decisions. Three well-regarded sports books were extensively used as references. The authors, titles and publishers were Roger G. Noll, ed., Government and the Sports Business (Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution, 1974); James Quirk and Rodney D. Fort, Pay Dirt: The Business of Professional Team Sports (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1992); James Quirk and Rodney D. Fort, Hard Ball: The Abuse of Power in Pro Team Sports (Princeton, NJ: Prince- ton University Press, 1999). An assortment of colleagues and friends assisted, guided and supported me during the development of this book. Pfeiffer University’s Dean of the Under- graduate College, Dr.Bettie Starr and the former head of the School of Business, Professor Toby Poplin, agreed to adjust my teaching schedule at the Misen- heimer Campus in the 2001–2002 academic year. Because of their confidence and trust in my scholarship, there was sufficient opportunity and time for me to successfully complete the manuscript. Frank Chance, Pfeiffer’s director of information support services and assistant professor of library science at the Charlotte Campus, informed me about databases. Furthermore, he forwarded me numerous articles on professional sports that appear in the book’s Selected Bibliography. Frank’s comments and viewpoints about teams, owners and players were insightful, practical and thought-out. Indeed, this book improved because of his input. Librarians Norman Wilson and Lara Little at the Misenheimer Campus loaned me materials such as The World Almanac and Book of Facts and various sports books. Their contributions reduced research time and expense. The Charlotte Campus’s assistant dean for student services, Michael Utsman, is a computer whiz who assisted in the preparation of the tables and listened to my progress reports on each chapter. Mr. Utsman never hesitated to help me. For that, he earns my gratitude and respect. My close friend Maureen Fogle al- lowed me to use her personal computer and home office to produce the manuscript. Despite the mess created from documents and paperwork scattered about her office to accomplish the research and write, Maureen freed me from house- keeping chores to focus on the task of meeting the publisher’s deadline date. Be- sides the forenamed individuals, former Pfeiffer University MBA student and ex-employee of the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers Martha Robin- son mailed me a league-specific resource and media guide, the NFL 2001 Record & Fact Book. Her gift is appreciated. Finally, Quorum Books’ Senior Editor Hilary D. Claggett, Greenwood Press’s Senior Production Editor Heidi L. Straight and Thistle Hill Publishing Services’ Editorial Director Angela Williams Urquhart cooperated with me to ensure the transformation of the manuscript into American Sports Empire. The late Dr. John J. Guthrie, Jr., co-author of Relocating Teams and Expand- ing Leagues in Professional Sports, was the inspiration for this book. While a college professor, John edited and wrote several books and numerous articles. xii Preface He motivated his students in economics and history courses and cared about each student’s education and well-being. Considered a top competitive runner in the Daytona Beach area in the 1980s and 1990s, one of his former students said, “Professor Guthrie is good at what he does. He’s funny and we ͓students͔ learn something at the same time.” Well short of the finish line he deserved, on February 22, 2000, John died in his sleep.

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