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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Sports Studies

Gettysburg College

Journal

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Gettysburg Economic Review, Volume 3, Spring 2009 Jan 2009

The Gettysburg Economic Review, Volume 3, Spring 2009

Gettysburg Economic Review

No abstract provided.


Long-Term Contracts And The Principal-Agent Problem, Elizabeth A.R. Purcell Jan 2009

Long-Term Contracts And The Principal-Agent Problem, Elizabeth A.R. Purcell

Gettysburg Economic Review

This paper examines the principal-agent problem within professional sports. Imperfect information between managers and players, as well as the guaranteed income a long-term contract provides, are predicted to provide players with the incentive to alter effort over the length of a contract – especially during the first year of a long-term contract. Regression analysis indicates that players’ performance levels decline during the first year of a long-term contract, suggesting that the effects of the principal-agent problem may outweigh competing effects. The study does not, however, suggest that players increase performance in the final year of a contract.