The bottom line: observations and arguments on the sports business

pt. I. Team management, finances, and value -- So you want to own a big-league ball team? -- Capital needs, political realities fuel new interest in sports offerings -- A Miami fish story -- Take stock in the tribe -- Has Milstein lost his mind? Not hardly -- If the Redskins are worth $800 million ... -- The NFL's new math -- Don't cry for Woody -- Ticket prices and players' salaries : the real story -- Yes, it's about money -- The NFL's economic success -- How much are the Red Sox worth? -- MLB in the aftermath of September 11 -- MLB by the numbers, but who's buying? -- Baseball by the numbers -- The Mets are worth more than $391 million -- The sports franchise market is stronger than many think -- Flawed financial analysis of NHL skates on thin ice -- Baseball's new numbers : doom and gloom or blip and fit? -- Baseball's new management culture is a work in progress -- $53 million for Pedro? How do you figure? --

pt. II. League structure, design, and performance -- Fewer families own sports teams : it's OK -- If competitive balance spoils the show, congress waits in the wings -- Selig, players both err early regarding competitive balance -- Talent decompression and competitive balance in Major League Baseball -- Minor-league basketball : there's a right way and a wrong way -- The commissioner's new clothes -- Baseball's competitive balance and the amateur draft -- Baseball's blue ribbon panel : good news and bad news -- NFL's revenue sharing saps will to win? -- The sports industry during recessions -- On contraction, Selig should change his mind again -- Un-fair ball -- Competitive balance is a problem -- How to reform the NHL's economic system -- MLS remains minor league, World Cup notwithstanding -- Beantown's new brain trust touches all the fans' bases -- The NFL's report card -- Trading deadline activity raises issue of baseball's competitive integrity -- The gold in baseball's diamond -- What went wrong with WUSA? -- Money game : baseball's short-lived rally -- No reason to break up the Yankees -- More financial smoke and mirrors from MLB -- Enough already : time to award D.C. a franchise -- Tweaking the NFL juggernaut -- Single entity, though alluring, won't solve hockey's problems -- British soccer fans, kicked again (with Stefan Szymanski) -- McClatchy is barking up the wrong tree --

pt. III. Stadiums : financing, mega-events, and economic development -- Fan Freedom and Community Protection Act of 1996 -- What's BOB really worth to Phoenix? -- Football stadium folly -- When teams move, protecting both fans and owners is tricky -- Now you see the Patriots, now you don't : NFL musical chairs -- Flawed Specter bill gets an A for effort -- A tale of facilities in two cities : Boston and Green Bay -- Share of ballpark : $16 a year -- Cards' offer is in the ballpark -- New York City can do better -- The NFL and Los Angeles : here we go again -- Live from New York City : inflation, traffic, and the Olympics! -- Renovating the stadiums : the real economic story -- Foxboro's Gillette stadium : a model for others to ponder -- Games people play -- Straight talk on stadiums -- More benevolence in stadium games -- New York facility triad is good news -- Economic impact of the Olympics doesn't match the hype --

pt. IV. Antitrust and labor relations -- Take me out to the cleaners -- Batter up, already -- Team profitability and labor peace -- This Bud's for a salary cap -- Let the market rule the basketball court -- The NBA lockout : who's dropping the ball? -- The NBA lockout : a postmortem -- "Jordan effect" won't rescue the NBA -- NBA players are doing fine, thank you -- Contraction and baseball's antitrust exemption? -- Baseball's addition through subtraction just doesn't add up -- Baseball's game of smoke and mirrors -- Baseball and D.C. for all the wrong reasons -- All right all you lawyers, play ball! -- Baseball : a deal can get done -- Labor relations heating up in the NBA -- The new baseball labor agreement is already at work -- NHL : time to stop blowing smoke and start real bargaining -- A-Rod capture makes dollars and sense -- What to do about the hockey mess -- Hockey owners give their sport a slap shot -- Monopoly's money --

pt. V. College sports and gender equity -- College sports : surplus or deficit? -- Make freshmen ineligible : only good can come of it -- Real reform, not tinkering, is needed in college sports -- The NCAA has lost its way -- Unsportsmanlike conduct -- CBS's big NCAA deal is no cure for what's ailing college sports -- Win one for the Gipper -- Backlash against Title IX : an end run around female athletes -- Has March madness gone mad? -- Pay for play in college sports : think twice -- College athletic success and donations : evidence is not encouraging -- The NCAA's new financial status report : good news or bad? -- College is not for everyone -- Should college athletes be paid? -- Making the (up)grade : tougher than it looks -- Another bowl game is not what the NCAA needs -- Numbers, facts don't back Title IX critics -- The BCS is ripe for reform -- Clarett has a compelling case for NFL eligibility -- Let Jeremy Bloom ski and play wide receiver -- Curb coaches' salaries and preserve Title IX gains -- Final word : million-dollar contracts for college coaches make little sense --

pt. VI. Media and the regulation of steroids

Extreme is mediocre and XFL is the name

The increasingly complex sports media landscape

No easy answers for MLB's steroid scandal

Reflections on the Super Bowl

In steroids hearings, congress has its eye on the wrong ball

Anti-doping : settle in for the long haul.