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15 Sports Myths and Why They're Wrong
In 15 Sports Myths and Why They're Wrong, authors Rodney Fort and Jason Winfree apply sharp economic analysis to bust some of the most widespread urban legends about college and professional athletics.
Each chapter takes apart a common misconception, showing how the assumptions behind it fail to add up. Fort and Winfree reveal how these myths perpetuate themselves and, ultimately, how they serve a handful of powerful parties—such as franchise owners, reporters, and players—at the expense of the larger community of sports fans. From the idea that team owners and managers are inept to the notion that revenue-generating college sports pay for athletics that don't attract fans (and their cash), 15 Sports Myths and Why They're Wrong strips down pervasive accounts of how our favorite games function, allowing us to look at them in a new, more informed way.
Fort and Winfree argue that substituting the intuitive appeal of emotionally charged myths with rigorous, informed explanations weakens the power of these tall tales and their tight hold on the sports we love. Readers will emerge with a clearer picture of the forces at work within the sports world and a better understanding of why these myths matter—and are worthy of a takedown.
Each chapter takes apart a common misconception, showing how the assumptions behind it fail to add up. Fort and Winfree reveal how these myths perpetuate themselves and, ultimately, how they serve a handful of powerful parties—such as franchise owners, reporters, and players—at the expense of the larger community of sports fans. From the idea that team owners and managers are inept to the notion that revenue-generating college sports pay for athletics that don't attract fans (and their cash), 15 Sports Myths and Why They're Wrong strips down pervasive accounts of how our favorite games function, allowing us to look at them in a new, more informed way.
Fort and Winfree argue that substituting the intuitive appeal of emotionally charged myths with rigorous, informed explanations weakens the power of these tall tales and their tight hold on the sports we love. Readers will emerge with a clearer picture of the forces at work within the sports world and a better understanding of why these myths matter—and are worthy of a takedown.
- GenresSports
309 pages, Hardcover
First published August 7, 2013
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May 24, 2023
For the most part, this is a well-written book. There are a few sections in which I feel the authors were a bit tunnel-visioned in not considering every angle in case it weakened their point. It felt intentional because there were other sections of the book in which they did not do this. e.g. In the first chapter, there was really no mention of potential accounting tricks being used to make the numbers what they were.
Personally, I felt they missed the mark a little bit when discussing revenue sharing.
That having been said, I don't know why this book is rated as poorly as it is from prior reviews. It's a slightly long read, and maybe a little inaccessible to a beginner, but they don't drag on and on either.
Personally, I felt they missed the mark a little bit when discussing revenue sharing.
That having been said, I don't know why this book is rated as poorly as it is from prior reviews. It's a slightly long read, and maybe a little inaccessible to a beginner, but they don't drag on and on either.
Displaying 1 of 1 review