The Name of the Game: The Business of Sports [Paperback]

Jerry Gorman (Author), Kirk Calhoun (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 16, 1994

Combines the business acumen of Ernst & Young with the inside knowledge of renowned sports writer, Skip Rozin, for a unique behind-the-scenes look at how sports have evolved from games to big business. Explains the business reasons behind why popular players are traded, why teams move from cities full of loyal fans, the importance of TV in sports and the real value of advertising to sports teams. Features interviews with sports enterprise figures including Victor Kiam, Jerry Jones and Red Auerbach.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Partners in the accounting firm of Ernst and Young, Gorman and Calhoun have obviously done a prodigious amount of research and, aided by freelance sportswriter Rozin ( Garvey ), they make their points convincingly. Analyzing the balance sheets of major league teams individually and comparing the worth of various franchises, the authors of this enlightening study show sports as a profit-motive business with management decisions determined by their impact on P & L statements. The authors audit the sources of income (television, radio, gate receipts, concessions and product licensing), the principal expenses (players' salaries, financial support of minor leagues, stadiums and their upkeep), the economics of expansion and, finally, pressure from fans to retain popular players whose contracts may not be cost effective. The book covers baseball, football, basketball and hockey and the authors soberingly caution that if the forces of economics cannot coexist with fan equity, then sports will become another "product" of the mercantile system.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Gorman and Calhoun, a pair of sports consultants, along with Rozin ( One Step from Glory , LJ 5/1/79), have written an informative and entertaining account of the financial side of U.S. professional football, basketball, baseball, and hockey. They stress that more than half of all league revenues come from television contracts (except for professional hockey) and that over half of all expenses go to player salaries (e.g., baseball salaries averaged about $800,000 in 1992). The most important factor for a successful team franchise is a loyal group of fans, the authors claim. At the same time, they point out that the mobility of players due to free agency means that fewer connections are made between players and fans. While they offer no solutions, the authors present the current problems in an interesting manner. This belongs in most sports collections.
- Terry Madden, Boise State Univ. Lib., Id.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 16, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471594237
• ISBN-13: 978-0471594239
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,788,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars OSU comp Student 2008, March 24, 2008

By 

Larry Henderson "brett040489" (Stillwater, OK USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Name of the Game: The Business of Sports (Paperback)

Overall the book covered a lot of information that explained the ins and outs of pro sports. The book covered the four main sports, baseball, basketball, football, and hockey, and how they use advertisement to make money. The sales of food and drink, the money that television brings in, and the sales of other products that are related to the team make a big impact on the profit the team makes, and this book explains some of the importances of these sales to the teams. The book has three authors so there are many points that are covered and the research that is done for the book is extremely noticeable. Each author has his own style of writing so each aspect of each subject is covered. Overall the book was written very well and i enjoyed reading each page.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some decent information but lacks the gritty detail., March 5, 2005

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Fire in the sky "Metrarail" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Name of the Game: The Business of Sports (Paperback)

Overall this book is good for those that want to understand why certain teams have folded over the years while others prospered. It mentions the importance of television revenue and food & drink sales. What it doesn't go into are the average margins that can be attributed to certain portions of the teams operations. How important are beer sales versus gate revenues? That is the sort of question I had wanted answered, but did not find in this book. Otherwise it is more of a history lesson than of the nitty gritty details of the business side of the games.

4.0 out of 5 stars Why nobody gives it 5 stars, August 8, 2011

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Jamiel Cotman "Jamiel Cotman" (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Name of the Game: The Business of Sports (Paperback)

...This book should be subtitled, ":The History of Sports" as it but dabbles in its business dimensions. This is extremely light business literature. I would not recommend it to a true student of wealth, as it has no nuts and bolts, on how money is actually made. Don't get me wrong, its in there, but you have to pick through all of the history information to get it. The history lesson should have taken a back seat to the business lesson, but that is not the case. Its like talking to a professional athlete, who, as an employee for the owner, can only tell you about the game, and what he did to get his check. Business should have been taken off of the cover of this page entirely, except for the fact that it did make an effort. There are not many books, or resources period on this topic, so its rarity gave it four stars. But for entrepreneurs looking for a resource to begin capitalizing off of the sports industry, sorry this is more of an appetizer.