Publications

January 2002 (Revised November 2002)
Case

Baseball Industry Update, 2002

By: Jan W. Rivkin and Elizabeth Johnson

Supplements The Baseball Strike. View Details

Keywords: Sports; Conflict and Resolution; Sports Industry

Awards

Alpha Award for Best Research Paper

Winner of the 2013 Alpha Award for Best Research Paper at the 2013 Sloan Sports Analytics Conference for his paper with Timothy Chan, "The Value of Flexibility in Baseball Roster Construction." View Details

March 1987 (Revised July 1996)
Case

Kansas City Zephyrs Baseball Club, Inc.

By: Kenneth A. Merchant, Krishna G. Palepu and Joseph P. Mulloy

Describes a dispute between the owners of the major league baseball teams and the players' union about the profitability of the baseball teams. The issue is important because of the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations. A consultant is brought in to decide... View Details

Keywords: State Ownership; Compensation and Benefits; Entrepreneurship; For-Profit Firms; Accounting; Activity Based Costing and Management; Resource Allocation; Cost Accounting; Cost Management; Labor and Management Relations; Financial Management; Sports; Sports Industry; Kansas

February 2003
Supplement

Baseball Industry Update, 2002

By: Pankaj Ghemawat and Jan W. Rivkin

Spreadsheet for use with case (9-702-443). Download Only. (Exhibits 1 and 3). View Details

August 2009 (Revised June 2011)
Case

Kansas City Zephyrs Baseball Club, Inc. 2006

By: Krishna G. Palepu

This case centers around a dispute between the owners and the players regarding the profitability of professional baseball teams in connection with the negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. The case describes the financial statements of the baseball... View Details

Keywords: Accrual Accounting; Financial Statements; Profit; Labor Unions; Measurement and Metrics; Agreements and Arrangements; Performance; Sports Industry; United States

09 Dec 2021
News

How to Save Major League Baseball from Itself

03 Nov 2010
News

He's Back to Baseball Cards

Keywords: Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

25 Oct 2022
Research & Ideas

Is Baseball Ready to Compete for the Next Generation of Fans?

While football and basketball are now the most popular and financially successful of the four major professional sports leagues, Major League Baseball appears to be rallying. Last week, MLB said revenue for the 2022 regular season, which... View Details

Keywords: by Christina Pazzanese, Harvard Gazette; Media & Broadcasting; Sports

September 2002 (Revised January 2003)
Case

A-Rod: Signing the Best Player in Baseball

By: Randolph B. Cohen

This case analyzes a large investment decision considered by the Texas Rangers in 2000: whether to spend $252 million for the services of shortstop Alex Rodriguez. The signing was probably the most controversial sports contract of the past decade. View Details

Keywords: Selection and Staffing; Investment; Sports; Brands and Branding; Sports Industry

1 Mar 2013 - 2 Mar 2013
Conference Presentation

The Value of Flexibility in Baseball Roster Construction

By: Timothy Chan and Douglas S. Fearing

Drawing inspiration from the theory of production flexibility in manufacturing networks, we provide the first optimization-based analysis of the value of positional flexibility (the ability of a player to play multiple positions) for a major league baseball team in the... View Details

Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Design; Production; Resource Allocation; Groups and Teams; Adaptation; Sports

March 2010 (Revised June 2019)
Case

Major League Baseball Advanced Media: America's Pastime Goes Digital

By: Anita Elberse and Brett Laffel

In January 2010, Bob Bowman, chief executive officer of Major League Baseball Advanced Media -- MLB's digital arm -- is facing a number of decisions related to its 'app' for Apple's new iPad. What are the best name, price, and set of features for MLBAM's iPad app? The... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Marketing Strategy; Distribution Channels; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Internet and the Web; Sports Industry