David Berri
wagesofwins.bsky.social
David Berri
@wagesofwins.bsky.social

Professor of Economics at Southern Utah University.
The latest book is Slaying the Trolls.
Also author/co-author of
The Wages of Wins
Stumbling on Wins
https://www.davidberri.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Trolls-Wrong-About-Sports/dp/B0D33VK9SN/ .. more

David J. Berri is a sports economist and professor of economics at Southern Utah University, known for his sometimes-controversial analysis of NBA basketball. He is a past president of the North American Association of Sports Economists, and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Sports Economics and The International Journal of Sport Finance. .. more

Economics 57%
Sociology 14%

The NBA keeps making the same salary offer to WNBA players.

Essentially, these negotiations have become a sequel to Groundhog Day.

But its not as funny. And apparently all we are learning is the NBA didn't understand the point of the original movie.
wagesofwins.substack.com/p/groundhog-...
Groundhog Day and the WNBA Players
The NBA keeps making the same offer over and over and over again!
wagesofwins.substack.com

Is it too late to call Tom Brady?

Twice would be a great choice!

This is one of the stories we told (Yvan Kelly told this one!) in The Economics of the Super Bowl!

www.amazon.com/Economics-Su...

If the Seahawks kick another damn field goal, I want the writers of this show fired!

Really... this is boring.

Bring back the halftime show!

Next year I would love a K-Pop performance at the Super Bowl. In Korean!

Let's see if Blackpink or BTS is available!

Or a C-Pop performance. In Mandarin!

Someone call Jolin Tsai!

We can't just produce a show for Seattle fans! 😂

Hope the Super Bowl writers are huddling at halftime.

The first half just didn't work. I get the idea of focusing on defense in the storyline. But they need to write some touchdowns into the second half script!

One of the stories academics love to tell is that it is all a meritocracy. The best academics are at the best schools.

The link between Epstein and prominent academics highlights the role of networking and what academics will do to get what they need to fool you into thinking they are the best.

This is my second time being interviewed by Nick Piastowski (an editor of Golf.com). Once again, great fun!

Such a wide ranging conversation.

We talked about the Detroit Lions, NFL, Hockey, K-Pop, and Women's Sports.

And also golf. PGA, LPGA, and Saudi Arabia!!
golf.com/news/will-br...
Will Bryson get a billion? And what the LPGA needs. An authority has thoughts
Will Bryson DeChambeau get a billion dollar LIV Golf deal? And thoughts on what the LPGA needs. We talked with a leading sports economist.
golf.com

Had no idea Carol King contradicted the Bible!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6913...
Carole King - I Feel the Earth Move (Official Audio)
YouTube video by CaroleKingVEVO
www.youtube.com

The people commenting on economics on Twitter these days often say...

"How dare you think economics is simply about limiting government and maximizing profits?"

Same economists whenever government is mentioned:

"Government can't do anything right. The market can solve the problem!"

Studies show that at a certain level of income, happiness peaks.

Pinpointing the exact level is empirically difficult.

But one suspects Musk is learning that happiness peaks well before you get to whatever he has.
The man on track to become the world’s first trillionaire is complaining that his material success hasn’t brought any joy into his life.
World’s Richest Man Wants You to Know How Tough He Has It
Seriously.
trib.al

The University of Utah (a non-profit institution) wants to work directly with a for-profit private equity firm in college sports.

I explain at @theslingutah.bsky.social why it seems both the university and the firm don't truly understand the college business.
www.thesling.org/can-private-...
Can Private Equity Save Athletics at the University of Utah? - The Sling
In December, Dennis Romboy and Art Raymond of Deseret News reported that the University of Utah’s board of trustees approved a first-of-its-kind private equity deal between the school and Otro Capital...
www.thesling.org

Reposted by David J. Berri

Check out @wagesofwins.bsky.social's new piece in @TheSlingUtah. "Can Private Equity Save Athletics at the University of Utah?"

www.thesling.org/can-private-...
Can Private Equity Save Athletics at the University of Utah? - The Sling
In December, Dennis Romboy and Art Raymond of Deseret News reported that the University of Utah’s board of trustees approved a first-of-its-kind private equity deal between the school and Otro Capital...
www.thesling.org

Reposted by David J. Berri

The man on track to become the world’s first trillionaire is complaining that his material success hasn’t brought any joy into his life.
World’s Richest Man Wants You to Know How Tough He Has It
Seriously.
trib.al

Great article from Maria Marino on the current state of the WNBA labor negotiations.

There are many reasons to question the league's position. This article does a great job of explaining the problems!

www.si.com/onsi/womens-...
Why WNBA Players Have a Point in CBA Standoff With League
It’s crunch time for collective bargaining between the WNBA and the Players' Association as the two sides met Monday in hopes of getting closer to an agreement
www.si.com

Reposted by David J. Berri

Arsenal win the first ever FIFA Women’s Champions Cup 🏆

Renee Slegers' side achieved glory with a 3-2 victory over Corinthians — Caitlin Foord netted the winner in extra-time.

Reposted by David J. Berri

I need people to understand that it’s not just Epstein, it’s the entire rape culture that existed before and after him at every socioeconomic level. That’s why Epstein, who I’ve never thought was particularly smart or interesting, was able to pull this all off—he recognized how abuse functions

Reposted by David J. Berri

Philadelphia hasn’t been home to professional women’s basketball in nearly three decades. But for one night, the city showed why it’s ready for a permanent team.

On Unrivaled’s record setting night with comments from Dawn Staley and Kyle Lowry:

frontofficesports.com/unrivaled-ph...
Unrivaled Sets Several Attendance Records in Philadelphia
The 21,490 fans Friday night were more than any WNBA regular season game, and among the most ever at a women’s pro basketball game.
frontofficesports.com

So very glad to hear this!!

Yes! Billions of taxpayer subsidies for men.

Virtually nothing for women.

And men insist they built their sports all by themselves.

Very glad to hear you enjoyed our book!!

Reposted by David J. Berri

I would be very shocked to learn that a WNBA owner wasn't managing finances correctly. Shocked!
“Alter’s operation has been a mess.”

A Chicago Sky minority shareholder is suing majority owner Michael Alter for allegedly abusing his control over the Sky’s finances to boost his own shares while diluting those of other minority owners.
Chicago Sky owner Michael Alter sued by minority partner for allegedly ‘self-dealing’ to devalue other shares
A Chicago Sky minority partner is suing majority owner Michael Alter, alleging he violated his fiduciary duty to investors by misallocating and misrepresenting franchise value for his own benefit.
www.chicagotribune.com

Reposted by David J. Berri

“Alter’s operation has been a mess.”

A Chicago Sky minority shareholder is suing majority owner Michael Alter for allegedly abusing his control over the Sky’s finances to boost his own shares while diluting those of other minority owners.
Chicago Sky owner Michael Alter sued by minority partner for allegedly ‘self-dealing’ to devalue other shares
A Chicago Sky minority partner is suing majority owner Michael Alter, alleging he violated his fiduciary duty to investors by misallocating and misrepresenting franchise value for his own benefit.
www.chicagotribune.com

Reposted by David J. Berri

Official from Unrivaled:

21,490 fans in the building tonight.

That’s an all-time record for the highest-attended regular season professional women's basketball game ever.

Also, a record for a professional basketball game — men’s or women’s — at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Notice it is argued that losing millions on men's sports is okay because in the long-run this "investment" will pay off.

Women's sports are often evaluated in terms of perceived losses right now. Losses on men's sports tend to be seen as just an investment.

awfulannouncing.com/nbc/peacock-...
Peacock quarterly losses climb to $552M as NBA rights fees kick in
Quarterly losses for Peacock climbed to $552 million in Q4 2025 as NBC began paying expensive NBA media rights fees.
awfulannouncing.com

Many academics at top institutions seem to think their world is a meritocracy. Like what we see in sports. The best talent is at the top academic institutions.

A couple of years ago I questioned that logic. By explaining how sports work!
wagesofwins.substack.com/p/what-i-thi...
What I Think Sports Teaches Us About Elite Institutions
Just maybe a degree from an elite school doesn't mean what we think it means!
wagesofwins.substack.com

For those who are seeing it reported that the NBA is offering the WNBA players "70% of net revenue"... I report the textbook definition of net revenue.

The NBA's definition is made up.

Hard to negotiate with made up terms and made up numbers.
wagesofwins.substack.com/p/hard-to-ne...
Hard to Negotiate with Imaginary Numbers and Imaginary Words
On December 31st, ESPN reported the following about the offer being made by the NBA (i.e.
wagesofwins.substack.com