Subject/Research Guides: Sports Management Guide: Business of Sports

Business of Sports

Spotrac
Comprehensive database providing salary and contract information for the major professional sports.
Rodney Fort's Sports Business Data
Very useful collection of sports business data maintained by Rodney Fort, a sports economist in the Sport Management program at the University of Michigan.
SGB Media
Trade publications and data on the sporting goods industry.

Trade associations are a valuable source of industry reports, statistics, salary surveys and more. Some of it is only available to members. Don't hesitate to contact trade associations for expert opinion.

Sports Law

Sports Facility Reports (SFR)

Online newsletter from National Sports Law Institute at Marquette University Law School.
"The Sports Facility Reports 'SFR' online newsletter was created in 2000 to provide interested individuals within the sports industry with information about teams, sports facilities, the development of new facilities, revenue streams, lease agreements, and other reference information related to sports facility. "

Sports Statistics

Equity in Athletics Data Analysis Cutting Tool
From the Office of Postsecondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education. Use this tool to create customized reports for research relating to equity in athletics data.

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Fan Cost Index
Since 1991, Team Marketing Report has produced the annual Fan Cost Index® for teams of the four largest US sports leagues: Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Hockey League and National Basketball Association. The FCI measures the cost of a family of four to attend a game with a standard measurement of ticket costs added with typical food, drink and souvenir costs, as well as parking.
Interactive Analysis of Fan Cost Index
From Russell Scibetti with The Business of Sports, this interactive tool enables analysis of Fan Cost Index data in several ways including:
-across one or more seasons
-by league (MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL only)
-by team across a league
-year over year FCI
-by DMA (looks at the value of all teams in a specific region)
-by team within a specific DMA
-based on years when new venues opened vs. not

Includes access to the raw data with teams’ FCI and average rank (most to least expensive within their league in a given season)
Harris Poll Online: Sports Archives
The Harris Poll is the longest running proprietary survey of public opinion in the world. In February 2014, The Harris Poll was acquired by Nielsen.
Also, do a keyword search on the Harris Poll website to search more than 50 years of data.

Sports Data Resources
From the Statistics in Sports Section of the American Statistical Association, a listing of online data resources and online sports statistics forums for several sports.

"Cheer Smarter: Using Advanced Metrics to Analyze the Cost of Being a Sports Fan"
From UC Berkeley School of Information, this page includes statistical graphics regarding the MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL that answer the following questions:
-What is the cost of a game?
-Which team is the best deal?
-What is the cost for fans?
-Which team is the most fun?