Handbook on the Economics of Women in Sports

Edited by Eva Marikova Leeds, Professor of Economics, Moravian College and Michael A. Leeds, Professor of Economics and Director, Graduate Studies in Economics, Temple University, US

Women’s sports have received much less attention from economists than from other social scientists. This Handbook fills that gap with a comprehensive economic analysis of women’s sports. It also analyzes how the behavior and treatment of female athletes reflect broad economic forces.

‘Leeds and Leeds have filled a gaping hole in sports economics with this revealing collection of essays. The economics of women in sports has been too long neglected. By covering everything from women as sports spectators, to women as participants in individual and team sports at the collegiate and professional levels, to women’s sports internationally, Title IX, and women’s differential response to incentives, this volume not only demonstrates that there is much fertile ground to be studied, but also that the subject matter is both interesting and important.’
– Andrew Zimbalist, Smith College, US

‘In the Handbook on the Economics of Women in Sports, Leeds and Leeds put together an impressive list of heavy hitters in the sociology and economics literature on sports to produce a tour de force volume. The entire spectrum of international perspectives is covered, from US, Korean, and Australian sports to world competition at the highest level of the Olympics and international championships. Whether your interest is attendance at women's events, performance and rewards in women's pro sports, gender issues in US college sports, or international performance and how women compete, this handbook is a must read for any serious fan, and for all serious scholars interested in the impacts of being female on sports performance and competitiveness.’
– Rodney Fort, University of Michigan, US

‘The editors have succeeded in their aim of demonstrating interest in the application of economic analysis to explain the growing involvement of women in sport. There is a wealth of material contained in the bibliographies of the respective chapters, and the various authors have indicated how such insights can be applied in a number of different scenarios.’
– The Economic Record