...Kansas City Zephyrs Case This case is a good example of the “earnings game”. A dispute arose between the baseball team owners and the players association on the true profitability of the baseball business. The case describes 3 main areas for which the accounting is being disputed: * Roster depreciation * Player compensation * Current Roster Salary - Deferred Compensation * Amortization of Signing Bonuses * Non-Roster Guaranteed Roster Expense * Transfer pricing of related party operations (stadium costs) Roster Depreciation 1. Who is Right? The Players 2. Why? The owners capitalized and amortized 50 percent of the purchase price ($12 million) simply because the tax rules allowed it; therefore the depreciation was spread over six years and comes to a total of $2M deduction in income per year. However the players argue that they become more experienced over time, therefore no depreciation is necessary; instead, they argue, given this fact there should be an appreciation of the roster and not the other way around. The truth is that Revenues are influenced by the performance of players as the better the team does, the more fans come. Therefore, player rosters both appreciate and depreciate depending on the season and the overall success of the team including; new recruits, season statistics (wins/losses) etc, therefore it shouldn’t be a consistent depreciation simply because the IRS allows it, but should reflect the actual situation in any...
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...Chad Dellworth Case: Kansas City Zephyrs Baseball Club: A Baseball Accounting Dispute ACCT 6350 1. How Should Bill Ahern resolve each of the accounting conflicts between the owners and the players? After meeting with both the owners and the players, Bill concludes that the three main accounting areas of concern between both parties are: * 1) Roster depreciation * 2) Player compensation * 3) Owners’ stadium fees In all of three of these conflicts, I noticed that the players tend to make more assumptions about the owners’ intentions than they do factual statements regarding sound accounting principles. I only mention this because Paul, the players’ lawyer, felt that the owners were being greedy and “hiding” profit in their accounting books rather than split their extra income with the players. According to our class reading Accounting for Property, Plant, and Equipment and Other Assets, all assets—in this case being the players—have a depreciation value. Unfortunately, PBPA goes against this statement by claiming that the players shouldn’t be depreciated at all; in fact, they went as far as to say that the players add value if anything. Now I don’t exactly claim to be an expert on baseball myself, but I know enough to safely say that baseball players tend to wear down over time. For example, pitchers are known for having shorter careers by throwing out their arm. Therefore playing baseball has to be taxing, not to mention risky. If anything, baseball...
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...Roster Depreciation The owners. From 1977 to 2004, sports team owners were allowed to treat 50 percent of the team purchase price as an asset depreciable over no more than 5 years. Deferred portion (20%) of compensation The owners. It is an accrued expense, The Company may owe its own players’ salaries and wages for work performed, but not yet paid. Even though they are to be paid at some future date, they are indicated on the firm's balance sheet from when the firm can reasonably expect their payment, until the time they are paid. Singing bonus The players. Signing bonuses have to be capitalized and amortized over the lives of the contracts. This is because players are signed to play for the team to provide benefits over the lives of their contracts. Non-roster guaranteed payment The players. Payments to the non-roster guaranteed contracts should be expensed when they are paid. A provision has to be set up. A reliable estimate has to be made of the amount of the obligation based on the past history on probability of players getting injured and not being picked by another team. Stadium rent The owners. The stadium pricing agreement would have to go through a market valuation to see if it provided transparency and accuracy. As related party transactions cannot be presumed to be carried out on an arm's-length basis unless such representations can be substantiated. If the stadium pricing agreement however is based on arm lengths principle and valued at market...
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...KANSAS CITY ZEPHYRS BASEBALL CLUB This case illustrates some basic accounting issues in a controversial setting. There are two parties in the case, which are Owner-Player Committee (OPC) – owners’ representative of the 26 major baseball league teams in collective bargaining negotiations and Professional Baseball Association (PBPA) – the player’s union. As we know, the baseball team owners and the players association were engaged in collective bargaining negotiations, so Bill met with Keith (Zephyrs' Owner) and Paul (player). In my view, I think Paul (the player) is right, and I want to explain in 5 areas as following: Roster Depreciation The owners point out depreciation on the player roster at the time the baseball club was purchased. 50 percent of the purchase price is designated as the value of the player roster at that time. This amount was capitalized and is being amortized over six years. He disagrees that the depreciation is real, because he thinks that most of the players actually improve their skills with experience. The value of player rosters appreciates and depreciates over time. I agree that the roster appreciates as the players become more experienced. Good trades and coaching will increase the roster value, but injuries and retirements will decrease it. Overstated Player Salary Expense 1、Amortization of Signing Bonuses The players think the owners overstate player expense in several ways, so Paul comes up with 3 adjustments. One is...
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...Kansas City Zephyrs Baseball Club, Inc. Case Study Antecedents: the Professional Baseball Players Association (PBPA) and the Owner-Player Committee (OPC) were engaged in a collective bargaining dispute where the PBPA believes they should share in the teams' profits. The OPC maintains, however, that the teams were losing money each year. Both sides had independent meetings with an arbitrator to evaluate and recommend a viable decision ”Who is right?” The case illustrate major areas in which both sides disputed the way the financial information is been presented, and the way key accounting concepts had been used taking in consideration the recognition of revenues and the matching concept: 1. - Players salary expenses, current roster salary, amortization of signing bonuses and non-roster guaranteed contract expenses 2. - Roster depreciation expense 3. - Related-party transactions (Stadium operations) 1. - Players salary expenses, current roster salary, amortization of signing bonuses and non-roster guaranteed contract expenses. A significant portion of players’ compensation packages is not paid in cash immediately. PBPA think the salaries due to players who are no longer on the roster should be recognized when the cash is paid out and not when the players leave the roster, GAAP however only allow the deferred compensation to be expensed when earned. Therefore, OPC is right. Some part of players’ signing bonuses as per the PBPA suggestion should be spread over...
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...same money promised him in his guaranteed contract? Of what importance are the periodic net income numbers if the clubs can always be sold for huge profits? How should Bill Ahern resolve the accounting conflict between the owners and players? How much did the Kansas City Zephyrs Baseball Club earn in 1983 and 1984? Facts This case shows that how different accounting methods can lead a company to different positions. That is what Bill Ahern was selected on April 9 to focus on reviewing the finances of the Kansas City Zephyrs Baseball Club, Inc., which was bought on November 1, 1982 by five shareholders for $24 million, because both the representatives of the owner of the 26 major league baseball teams and the professional players association agreed that Kansas City Zephyrs Baseball Club’s operations were representative, and the baseball club entity was not owned by another corporation, and it did not own the stadium where they play. So Bill Ahern was reviewing their finances on April 17, 1985. He had to make a difficult judgement in next two days. He spent Tuesday reviewing the history of major league baseball and the relationship between the various entities. On following day, Wednesday, he met with the twi Zephyrs owners’ representatives, and On the following Monday, Bill Ahern met with the representatives from Professional Baseball Players Association and their lawyer. The problem that was needed to be resolved was weather...
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...Case Analysis 10-3 Kansas City Zephyrs Baseball Club, Inc. I.Issues Why does net income not equal cash flows? Why do we need accrual accounting? (Why do not we fire all accountants and just publish summary bank statements) Why do the differences between owners’, players’, GAAP and truth number exist?(Can accounting numbers be neutral representations of what happened? What happens if a retired non-roster player (e.g. Joe Portocararo) returns to the active roster while continuing to earn the same money promised him in his guaranteed contract? Of what importance are the periodic net income numbers if the clubs can always be sold for huge profits? How should Bill Ahern resolve the accounting conflict between the owners and players? How much did the Kansas City Zephyrs Baseball Club earn in 1983 and 1984? Facts This case shows that how different accounting methods can lead a company to different positions. That is what Bill Ahern was selected on April 9 to focus on reviewing the finances of the Kansas City Zephyrs Baseball Club, Inc., which was bought on November 1, 1982 by five shareholders for $24 million, because both the representatives of the owner of the 26 major league baseball teams and the professional players association agreed that Kansas City Zephyrs Baseball Club’s operations were representative, and the baseball club entity was not owned by another corporation, and it did not own the stadium where they play. So Bill Ahern was reviewing their finances on April...
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...Kansas City Zephyrs Baseball Club, Inc. Answer and submit these two questions for each item in dispute: Who's correct and why? for the Kansas City Zephyrs (6 points). In this baseball accounting dispute case I would rule towards the side of the players. First and foremost, their case on roster depreciation is a good point, because one, this is not done in any other industry when referring to staff or labor, and from a performance standpoint the way you may be able to determine if depreciation is present it could be determined by how much a player is playing in comparison to the previous year(s). And in most cases if a player is actually “depreciating”, they will be put on waivers or released. Next, deferred salaries should be accounted for in the fashion as pointed out by the PBPA, because if the owner’s actually do not pay this money in this fiscal year then that money would be assumed to be earning interest or invested. The third point, referring to stadium operations would definitely need to be analyzed extremely close, because any situation where monies shifting from the right pocket to the left pocket, the rates can not vary from the going rate for these services or properties, because otherwise those transactions might as well be laundering. Ultimately, the accounting policies and procedures practiced by the owners would lend one to question all of their financial reports because their acts up until this point would cause you to think antitrust issues could...
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...Kansas City Zephyrs Case Study Chad Dellworth Case: Kansas City Zephyrs Baseball Club: A Baseball Accounting Dispute ACCT 6350 1. How Should Bill Ahern resolve each of the accounting conflicts between the owners and the players? After meeting with both the owners and the players, Bill concludes that the three main accounting areas of concern between both parties are: * 1) Roster depreciation * 2) Player compensation * 3) Owners’ stadium fees In all of three of these conflicts, I noticed that the players tend to make more assumptions about the owners’ intentions than they do factual statements regarding sound accounting principles. I only mention this because Paul, the players’ lawyer, felt that the owners were being greedy and “hiding” profit in their accounting books rather than split their extra income with the players. According to our class reading Accounting for Property, Plant, and Equipment and Other Assets, all assets—in this case being the players—have a depreciation value. Unfortunately, PBPA goes against this statement by claiming that the players shouldn’t be depreciated at all; in fact, they went as far as to say that the players add value if anything. Now I don’t exactly claim to be an expert on baseball myself, but I know enough to safely say that baseball players tend to wear down over time. For example, pitchers are known for having shorter careers by throwing out their arm. Therefore playing baseball has to be taxing, not to mention...
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...Kansas City Zephyrs Baseball Club Bill Ahern had to resolve the profitability issues between the owners of the major baseball leagues and the players. The main differences were the following: - Roster depreciation: Per IRS code, 50% of the purchase price ($6M) was designated as the value of the player roaster at that time, and the owners decided to spread it over six years (they did it because they could). Players argue that no depreciation should take place because, they believe that with the experience they acquire with years of playing and practice they gain more skills which makes them more valuable. Who is right? The players, no roaster depreciation Why? Because good players, coaches and trades actually increase the value of a team and injuries and retirement decrease the value - Overstated player salary expense: Owners expense the signing bonuses in the year they are paid and players argue that it should be spread throughout the years they play. Players spread this payment based on the assumption that they won’t get hurt and continue to play in their teams. However, the bonus is paid in full at the beginning. Who is right? The owners Why? Because the bonus is disbursed up front that’s why it should be expensed - Salary expense deferred: Some teams do set aside money for the salary deferment, in that case is appropriate to recognize the entire salary amount as a current expense. However, Zephyrs don’t set money aside, - Who is right? The players Why...
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...Financial Accounting July 2012 Session 3 Kansas City Zephyrs and Inventories Jacob Cohen MIT Sloan School of Management 1 Kansas City Zephyrs – Setting I Kansas City Zephyrs – Setting II What are the owners’ incentives? What are the players’ incentives? Kansas City Zephyrs – Discussion Take-Away slide I Kansas City Zephyrs • A case where financial statements are used to resolve an internal dispute • Distinct from Shrek 2, which focused on the effect of accounting choices on external stakeholders (in particular, shareholders). Take-Away slide II The role of incentives • Whether the cup is half-full or half-empty depends on the incentives. • “No one ever said accounting is an exact science” The role of judgment • Timing decisions that affect revenue/expense recognition • Which decision you take depends on the objective Public vs. private accounting • When reporting to the public, a firm must follow GAAP. • In resolving internal disputes this may not always be true. Inventory 7 Overview In today’s class we will cover inventories: • Understanding the Inventory Equation • LIFO and FIFO cost-flow assumptions • LIFO tax conformity rule • Inventory accounting: IFRS vs. GAAP • Disclosures regarding cost flow assumptions 8 Two Main Issues Inventory accounting has two fundamental components: 1) Product Costing Decision: What costs are included in each product's inventory account? (Product...
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...Katelynn Tax 1/18/16 Kansas City Zephyrs Baseball Club, Inc. 2006 There are five main points of difference between the accounting methods of players and owners. The five main differences appear in roster depreciation, current roster salary, amortization of signing bonuses, non-roster guaranteed contract expense, and stadium operations. The following paragraphs analysis the main points above. Owners take 50% of purchase price of $228 million and depreciate it for 6 years this amounts to $19,000 a year in depreciation. While players on the other hand believe there should be no depreciation until the team is sold. They also believe that depreciation isn’t valid because players tend to improve their skills through time and therefore would increase roster value not decrease it. In my opinion I would have to side with the owners on this because generally many firms use straight line depreciation and its fairly common for depreciation to be done that way. Depreciation expenses are typically calculated at (total acquisition cost – salvage value)/useful life. It is possible that there could be no useful life or salvage value if other owners do not buy it and therefore depreciation should still remain as the owners have calculated. I also would like to note that not all players get better over time because of age, or recurring injuries so I believe that the teams do not increase roster value. In fact, I believe in the long run teams stay fairly the same with regards to performance...
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...In the case study of the Kansas City Zephyrs Baseball Club, Inc. Bill Ahern the arbitrator was assigned to resolve the issue on the parties’ agreeing on the true profitability of the major league baseball teams. Both Zephyr’s owners and players disagree on three different areas: a) Roster depreciation, b) Overstated Player Salary Expense which entails current signing bonuses, roster salary, amortization of and non-roster guaranteed contract expense; and c) Related-Party Transactions (Stadium Operations). Roster Depreciation The owners recognize depreciation of a value placed on the player roster at the time the baseball club was purchased apparently because tax rules allowed them to do so. Tax rules allow this value to be set arbitrarily at a maximum of 50% of the purchase price. According to the owners the depreciation is capitalized and is being depreciated over six years. The players do not feel that any roster depreciation should be shown. They believe that the roster depreciation is providing numbers without any significance. The players further argue that depreciation expenses only arise when a team is sold therefore there can be two identical teams that reflect different results if one was sold and the other was not. Moreover, the players argue that rosters should appreciate not depreciate as players become more experienced with time. Economically speaking a baseball clubs’ most valuable asset is its player’s rosters and they obviously appreciate and depreciate...
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...KANSAS CITY ZEPHYRS BASEBALL CLUB This case has three fundamental issues 1. Roster depreciation; 2. Player compensation; 3. Transfer pricing of related party operations (stadium costs); 1. Roster Depreciation (I side with the Owners) The owners recognize depreciation as of a value placed on the player roster at the time the baseball club was purchased. They do this for two reasons. 1. It lowers the value of the team and second for tax purposes. This is very legal and is normally used unless the company wants to show a higher profit. However, the team’s roster is usually its biggest assets and the only reason the owners are doing this is to show lower profits and pay less taxes 2. Player Compensation (I side with the Owners) Players compensation is a significant part of the teams expenses. The team uses accrual accounting which recognizes revenues to expenses at the time in which the transaction occurs rather than when payment is made. Although players’ compensations are not paid immediately in cash it is very likely the team will pay them. If the team does what the players suggest and deffers compensation expenses it would not show accurate expenses and therefore over value itself. 3. Transferg pricing of related party operations: (I side with the players) This is a common accounting practice. Our company actually does this with payroll. We have a staffing agency that operates our nursing homes. We charge for LPN and RN double what we pay them. This way...
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...Refer to the Kansas City Zephyrs reading from earlier in the week. For each of the 5 areas in dispute, answer the following: Who is right? Why? 1. Roster Depreciation The players are right. All players believe that depreciation is not required because the players improve their skills through their years of experience. Also, they believe the roster appreciates through the years. The appreciation and depreciation of the player rosters are based on the player’s talent, scouting, and coaching which will increase the value of the roster. 2. Deferred Salary In this case, the owners are right because the players highly believe that deferred compensation expenditure should be expensed when the cash is exhausted. This is incorrect on the player’s part. However, deferred compensation should be expensed when it is earned, not when cash is exhausted. 3. Signing Bonuses In this area of the case, the players are right. Players recommend that signing bonuses should be paid during the years of the contract instead over the life of the contract. The owners pay these sign on bonuses and consider them as an expense for that year, which is beneficial to the owner. In my opinion, these bonuses should be amortized because they are expected to deliver benefits over the lives of their contracts. 4. Non-roster Guaranteed Contract Expenses All of the players agree and suggest that any such payments should be expensed as they are made and the owners believe...
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