...The Billy Beane Case Study 1. Based on the “Billy Beane: Changing the Game” case, explain how and why the Oakland A’s economic situation after 1995 shaped its: a) Compensation strategies In the world of major league baseball, the Oakland A’s defied the laws of baseball economics. The team spent only $34 million (the 2nd lowest payroll) had won 102 games and lost only 60 in 2001. On top of this, they finished first in their division and made the playoffs. Major baseball teams would hire high school players rather than college players. This made high school players costly. The Oakland A’s strategy is to hire college players to save on resources. They argued that college players have already gained substantial exposure and competition. Beane would recruit new drafts and sign them for less than the going rate. Because of budget constraints, the Oakland A’s recruited Scott Hatteberg, he played six years with the Boston Red Sox’s. He got injured and lacked the prowess in throwing the ball effectively. Hatteberg was, according to the Boston Red Sox’s, a lame player and did not sign him again. With this, Hatteberg’s monetary value diminished and that is why the Oakland A’s recruited him at a much lower salary (because there were no other takers). Unknown to the other baseball teams, Hatteberg is the missing puzzle in the Oakland A’s team. The Oakland A’s noted that Hatteberg had an uncanny knack for getting on base. Management could no longer afford to pay market or above...
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...Baseball, Steroids and Business Ethics: How Breaches of Trust Can Change the Game: Knowledge@Wharton (http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1902) Baseball, Steroids and Business Ethics: How Breaches of Trust Can Change the Game Published : February 20, 2008 in Knowledge@Wharton The day after former Senator George Mitchell released his damning report on performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball last December, President George Bush, a former baseball-team owner himself, seemed to speak for many disgusted fans when he pronounced, "Steroids have sullied the game." The Mitchell Report fingered 89 professional ball players, but many of these allegations were nothing new for baseball watchers. Game of Shadows, a 2006 exposé by a pair of investigative journalists, and Juiced, a 2005 tell-all memoir by player José Canseco, described a world of professional baseball rife with performance-enhancing drug abuse. The ongoing scandal, which first surfaced in the late 1990s, has bubbled on for a decade, leading commentators to label it the "steroids era." With fans aware of such egregious bad behavior, why has attendance at Major League Baseball games reached record-breaking highs during that same time period? Are baseball's "consumers" impervious to the ethical lapses of their teams? No, say Wharton professors, but the case demonstrates how bias, competition and a lack of oversight worked together to create an ethically toxic atmosphere. This is a single/personal...
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...in the baseball skills market that existed because most baseball scouts and managers used traditional methods of selecting players that were outdated and had little relationship with skills that brought success to teams. Traditionally, baseball scouts mainly used batting averages (BA) and Runs batted in (RBI) to sign new players. On-base percentage (OBP) was used too, but it was not given as much premium as RBI and BA. Thus, when looking for players, almost all scouts went for players that scored highly on BA and RBI while ignoring those that scored highly on OBP but had low scores in BA and RBI. However, through analysis of massive amounts of data and reading Bill James’ series of baseball books Baseball Abstracts, Beane and his assistant, Paul DePodesta, found that OBP was the most important factor that determined a team’s success and not BA or RBI. Since OBP was not valued highly in players by most baseball scouts, Beane and DePodesta discovered that they could build a successful team of players with high OBP score but whom, because most top baseball teams had ignored them, could be paid much lower salaries than their counterparts could in big teams such as New York Yankees. Therefore, they could create a successful team on a much smaller budget than their competitors. Thus, the opportunity that Oakland A discovered was set up by scouts placing less premium on OBP, yet it was the most important skill in determining a team’s success. The belief that the players’ potential...
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...Steroids have been part of baseball history for a long time and it’s benefited athletes who resort to using it without getting caught. It’s helped the game develop into the game we see today, with players breaking home run records and pitchers pitching Cy Young worthy numbers. Steroids have caused a rift between who should or shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame because it helped them get a competitive boost with the use of an injection or cream, while others played naturally and legally. While I believe that steroids have its advantages in athletes, it is just another way athletes can gain a competitive boost. If steroids were to be legalized, all athletes would have the chance to compete at the same level, but in a much higher and competitive environment. The stadiums would be more electric and games would be more exciting for the fans to enjoy....
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...Introduction Jackie Robinson was important because he was a great baseball player that transcend the game. Even more importantly he was that first African American to play for the Major Leagues. By being the first African American baseball player he open the door for other African Americans to play baseball. He not only did baseball he supported political causes, to pursue a better life for African Americans. He experienced the injustices people treated African Americans but he still supported the peaceful protest for African Americans to get their civil rights. When he broke the color line it was a time of great social change for african americans in 1950’s-1960’s. He show that segregation was more than just for voting rights. He shown people...
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...amateur athlete be allowed contractual representation? The NCAA and their affiliated schools hide behind the word “amateur”, while making billions of dollars from revenue generated from student-athletes and their likeness. When presenting my research we will dive into certain aspects of compensation not offered, and how the NCAA exploits young men and women through their no pay rules. Maybe outright paying kids is not the answer, but with all the outcry and settlements out of court, it appears that something more must be offered. Amateurism. (2014). NCAA.org. Retrieved from http://www.ncaa.org/amateurism says to qualify as amateur, “an athlete is not permitted to: sign contracts with any professional team, receive salary for participating in athletics, collect prize above actual and necessary expenses, play with professionals, tryout/practice/compete with a professional team, accept benefits from an agent or perspective agent, agree to be represented by an agent, and delay initial full-time collegiate enrollment to participate in organized sports competition.” So, before young athletes can start their dream of moving on to the next level, they need to run a check list. For most athletes these guidelines are no problem, but for the upper echelon of young athletes there could be some snags. In a sport like baseball there is a possibility to be drafted directly out of high school. If a player is in contact with a team’s scout there is no penalty, but if he hires help to decide...
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...ENC 1101 13 October 2014 Becoming the Seminole Athlete Coming to FSU as a student athlete is a life changing experience as you shift from being under your parents into being on your own and managing yourself. You get to start early as a baseball player so that you can become acclimated with class and morning workouts. You are taken on a weeklong athlete orientation called Summer Bridge a week before summer classes begin. You along with other freshman athletes get to become familiar with the campus and what is expected out of an athlete here at Florida State. During the week, you are grouped with people from other sports so that you can get to know other people besides your teammates. In your group you do small bonding exercises and team work activities. One activity was a campus scavenger hunt where you have to take pictures in front of certain buildings and this allows you to get familiar with your new school. Summer is an easier adjustment from high school to college compared to fall. During summer you are required to take only two classes and have only early morning workouts. Having the afternoon to yourself is a good feeling because there is not much free time in the fall being a student athlete. Being a baseball player, you live in Whitehall Apartments which is right off campus. Living in the apartments with three other teammates and right next door to four others, you get to bond easily with each other. Transitioning from having your laundry done for you and having...
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...There has been no bigger or constant story in the world of baseball than the consistent illegal use of performance enhancing drugs. Performance-enhancing drugs are any substance taken to perform better athletically. This term is referenced often and typically refers to anabolic steroid use in sports by professional and amateur athletes. Other substances may also be taken to improve performance, including human growth hormone (HGH). The on going epidemic has brought the attention of some the biggest names in sports into question. Roger Clemens, Sean Merriman and Lance Armstrong just to name a few of what could possible be hundreds according to the Mitchell report. (Thesteroidera.com) The Mitchell report was an investigation to the commissioner of baseball of an independent investigation into the illegal use of steroids and other performance enhancing substances by players in major league baseball, as well as other major sports. The report helped put in the spotlight the ongoing problem mainly found in athletics today. The drugs allowed players to excel far beyond their god given talent and allowed them to produce power numbers never seen before. Not only does “Doping” hurt the integrity of the sport and the athlete, but also causes serious health risks, both mental and physical. I don’t believe there was anyone more intrigued by the epic home-run race of 1998 between Sammy Sosa and Mark Mcguire. The two heroes of the time seemed to sea-saw back and forth until ultimately Mcguire...
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...In the months prior to this fall, no one could browse through a newspaper sports section; tune a television set to ESPN; or listen to a sports talk radio station without being aware of facts, speculations and opinions regarding the recent revelations about the use of steroids in Major League Baseball. We have been informed about parents who are outraged at the example steroid use sets for our youth. Journalists speculate about who has lied and what is the degree of alleged falsity in players’ statements. Hall of Fame induction potential of alleged and proven steroid users has been debated. Former players have commented on the implications of such behavior. When Rafael Palmeiro returned to the field after his 10-game suspension resulting from...
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...number of athletes rose and the revenue generated by sports, as well as the salaries of players, escalated exponentially, so did the need to excell. Accordingly, athletes looked for anything that would give them an edge. Sports enhancers were used to obtain a competitive advantage, thus disrupting the concept of fairness. The problem of fairness did not only lie in the use of enhancers, but also with play calling. In most sports you have an official or team of officials who are solely responsible for ensuring all calls are made correctly. Because of “human error”, as well as the possibility of biased officiating, the idea evolved of using camera systems whose sole duty is to record all plays that can be replayed to ensure that calls were correctly made. In this paper I will analyze two forms of technology – one from a pure technology perspective and one from a medical perspective - that have both positive and negative aspects in tipping the scale of fairness. For most sports, the sole purpose of a video replay system is to determine the correctness of close calls or controversial plays. Because of the high costs of television cameras and other ancillary equipment, the video replay system is primarily used only at the professional level. In this section I will discuss the use of replay systems in the three major sports which are most widely followed in the United States: baseball, basketball and football. Each has its own unique interpretation of...
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...English 8 July 2014 The Use of Performance Enhancing Drugs Ryan Braun, a former Major League Baseball player was suspended for the rest of the baseball season for the use of performance enhancing drugs. Ryan Braun share with CNN News that “I am not perfect. I realize now that I have made some mistakes. And willing to accept the consequence of those actions.” The MLB’s commissioner points out that Braun had various unspecified breaches of the baseball’s drug program and violations labor of contract. For that reason, Ryan Braun will miss the total of 65 games without pay, the suspension will cause him to lose three million dollars out of his eight million salary. As an MLB spokesman shares with CNN that Braun is welcome to return after his suspension, as long as he’s making positive decisions that benefit Major League Baseball, whether it’s on field or off the field. Many professional athletes use PEDs to bulk up, build more muscles, and endurance; however, using PEDs nonstop can result in side effects like strokes, heart attacks, and death when used incorrectly. For the last couple of years, professional athletes from different sports have been caught for the use of PEDs or any other type of steroids, the players, usually a well-known person like Lance Armstrong and Alex Rodriguez. Although, the aid of performance enhancing drugs may provide entertainment to sports they also betray the values of sportsmanship; as well as give an unfair advantage over those who choose not to...
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...multiple or severe concussions have cut short careers in sports. The issue of player safety in sport has become a topic of controversy and debate in recent years. Many professional leagues such as the NFL and the NHL have adopted strict concussion test protocols and procedures for its players. Player safety has no doubt become a major concern in contact sports. The problem is, many of these regulations have yet to address what happens after playing careers are over. What happens to former players’ mental and physical health after they retire? How do players whom have suffered multiple concussions playing contact sports live their lives as opposed to players whom have played non-contact sports such as golf or baseball? What will be questioned in this analysis is do known players that have suffered multiple and/or severe concussions throughout their playing careers due to playing a contact sport develop abnormally high levels of mental and physical health problems at an early age? Previous history on the attempts to lower the frequency of severe injury and concussions have shown advances in equipment and medicine. In the middle of the twentieth century, players participating in contact sports such as football and hockey rarely wore any protective equipment. Due to the increased violence of these sports over time, advances in equipment were made to increase player safety. Although many critics argue that these advances in equipment...
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...a story. The story concerned a small group of undervalued professional baseball players and executives, many of whom had been rejected as unfit for the big leagues, who had turned themselves into one of the most successful franchises in Major League Baseball. But the idea for the book came well before I had good reason to write it—before I had a story to fall in love with. It began, really, with an innocent question: how did one of the poorest teams in baseball, the Oakland Athletics, win so many games? For more than a decade the people who run professional baseball have argued that the game was ceasing to be an athletic competition and becoming a financial one. The gap between rich and poor in baseball was far greater than in any other professional sport, and widening rapidly. At the opening of the 2002 season, the richest team, the New York Yankees, had a payroll of $126 million while the two poorest teams, the Oakland A's and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, had payrolls of less than a third of that, about $40 million. A decade before, the highest payroll team, the New York Mets, had spent about $44 million on baseball players and the lowest payroll team, the Cleveland Indians, a bit more than $8 million. The raw disparities meant that only the rich teams could afford the best players. A poor team could afford only the maimed and the inept, and was almost certain to fail. Or so argued the people who ran baseball. And I was inclined to...
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...® Academy of Management Journal 1999, Vol. 42, No. 1, 25-40. THE PERFORMANCE EFFECTS OF PAY DISPERSION ON INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS MATT BLOOM University of Notre Dame Pay distribution research is relatively scarce in the compensation literature, yet pay distributions are viewed as critically important by organizational decision makers. This study is a direct test of the relationship between one form of pay distribution—pay dispersion—and performance conducted in a field setting where individual and organizational performance could be reliably observed and measured. Findings suggest more compressed pay dispersions are positively related to multiple measures of individual and organizational performance. Among those who design and administer compensation systems, pay distributions have been an important issue for a long time, yet they have been studied relatively infrequently in the compensation research literature (Gomez-Mejia & Balkin, 1992; Meyer, 1975; O'Reilly, Main, & Crystal, 1988). The term pay distributions refers to the "array of compensation levels paid for differences in work responsibilities, human capital, or individual performance within a single organization" (Milkovich & Newman, 1996: 45). Although there seems to he agreement that pay distributions influence individual and organizational performance, there is little agreement over how or why they matter (Gerhart & Milkovich, 1992). In fact, there has been disagreement in the theoretical literature about the...
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................... 19 a.1. moral maturity: what are psychologists looking for?............ 22 a.2. game thinking............................. 24 a.3. moral confusion........................... 25 b. Stoll, Lumpkin, Beller, and Hahm.............. 27 It has been recognized for centuries that sport can contribute to education values that make for the development of character and right social relations . . . . [Within this contribution] there are many intertwined and interwoven threads of influences, subtle and not always easy to analyze. But sportsmen who year by year have contact with the playing of amateur games do not need to be convinced by argument of the validity of . . . [sport’s contribution]. Kennedy, 19311 Sport studies scholars . . . [present sports as a] major source of . . . [social] problems . . . . [But most] athletes, coaches, parents, youth sports...
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