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%

As a Lions fan, I am disappointed the team is missing the playoffs (and likely finishes below 0.500).

What will disappoint me more is all the "football experts" who can't figure out this is mostly due to injuries.

Clothes don't win. People in clothes win. Change the people, change the outcomes.

In my 30+ year career teaching, I can probably count the times a student contested a grade on one hand. And I don't have to use all my fingers.
Experimental evidence that students are more likely to contest grades when they are delivered by an evaluator with a female-sounding name.

"These findings suggest that women in evaluative positions face disproportionate resistance when delivering negative assessments."

Having worked at public universities for more than twenty years, very much like this paper!
"Even after accounting for the upfront costs and delayed benefits, enrolling marginal applicants to public universities generates substantial net returns for society, the marginal students themselves, and the government budget."

Public Universities FTW!
Experimental evidence that students are more likely to contest grades when they are delivered by an evaluator with a female-sounding name.

"These findings suggest that women in evaluative positions face disproportionate resistance when delivering negative assessments."

So on Christmas Eve there is

no women's college basketball
no NBA
no NHL
no NFL

Doesn't this violate one of the Constitutional amendments? Like most Americans, I have never read that document. But surely national sports are required on Christmas Eve!

What are we supposed to do today? 🤣
"Even after accounting for the upfront costs and delayed benefits, enrolling marginal applicants to public universities generates substantial net returns for society, the marginal students themselves, and the government budget."

Public Universities FTW!

Major League Soccer is a minor men's soccer league.

NWSL is a major league in women's soccer.

Maybe Armas is a great coach.

But this is like getting someone who trains second tier heavyweight boxers to train a champion middleweight.

Maybe it works out. Not the obvious first choice.
BREAKING: The Kansas City Current are finalizing a deal to hire Chris Armas as head coach, sources tell ESPN. Armas most recently coached MLS' Colorado Rapids. KC Current won the #NWSL Shield in 2025.

Story with @jeffreycarlisle.bsky.social:

www.espn.com/soccer/story...
Sources: Current to hire Armas as new head coach
The Kansas City Current have agreed to terms to hire Chris Armas as the team's new head coach, multiple sources confirmed to ESPN.
www.espn.com

Reposted by David J. Berri

BREAKING: The Kansas City Current are finalizing a deal to hire Chris Armas as head coach, sources tell ESPN. Armas most recently coached MLS' Colorado Rapids. KC Current won the #NWSL Shield in 2025.

Story with @jeffreycarlisle.bsky.social:

www.espn.com/soccer/story...
Sources: Current to hire Armas as new head coach
The Kansas City Current have agreed to terms to hire Chris Armas as the team's new head coach, multiple sources confirmed to ESPN.
www.espn.com

Having gone past 50...
I would recommend moving the age dial in the other direction.
Just start counting backwards!

"Obviously, you were just asking AI to steal your work!" 🤣

Reposted by David J. Berri

this is Tom Brady's best work

The valuation from Forbes is based on 2024 revenue numbers. Teams only own 42% of the league. So it is possible (in fact, seems likely) this is not all of league revenue.

Also... market sale of part of Liberty places value of team at $450 million.
www.espn.com/wnba/story/_...
Forbes: Liberty are most valuable women's team
The Liberty sit atop Forbes' first-ever list of the world's most valuable women's teams.
www.espn.com

I am old enough to remember when people said Alabama obviously didn't belong in the playoffs! 🤣

(I am only barely interested in this game. No women's basketball or volleyball on tonight!)

Nothing would motivate me more at work than an administrator who uses AI to tell me I am doing great.

A leader that uses AI to track your work is a leader that definitely cares about what you do!

Another NBA owner wants to invest in the WNBA.

The same WNBA that the NBA -- which already owns more than 60% of the WNBA -- claims has never made a profit.

www.espn.com/wnba/story/_...
Sources: Rockets expand talks to buy, move Sun
Rockets ownership is in substantive talks with the Connecticut Sun over the potential purchase and relocation of the WNBA franchise to Houston, sources told ESPN.
www.espn.com

I have written 6 books and published nearly 100 academic articles.

I have never been offered a job by Harvard.
Never been asked to speak at Harvard.

So... discrimination!!!

Right?

I also never applied to Harvard. Or tried to speak there. I also hate traveling!

Still... discrimination!!!🤣
Hey sociology lovers! After losing our program to Hurricane Katrina and a 20-year hiatus, Tulane University is re-launching its PhD in sociology! If you'd like to learn more, please reach out at lwade3@tulane.edu. I'd be happy to chat to prospective students or faculty who might send some our way.

Reposted by David J. Berri

the wnbpa announced thursday that the union has authorized the executive committe to "call a strike when necessary"

the wnba has notably never had a work stoppage of any kind

www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/wn...
WNBA players vote to authorize strike if 'necessary': What it means for CBA talks
The WNBA and WNBPA remain far apart ahead of the Jan. 9 deadline to agree to a new CBA
www.cbssports.com
85% of CEOs are white men.

All but one US President has been a white man.

65% of all elected offices are held by white men.

Roughly 30% of the population is white men.

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS TOPIC EVEN???

Do I have to say again all those reports come from NBA sources? The same NBA that has claimed for 50 years the NBA doesn't make a profit?

If I were president, a team cannot use a city name if that city is located in a different state from the stadium.

So if the Bears are off to Indiana, then they are the Indiana Bears.

And they would join the New Jersey Giants and New Jersey Jets!

www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/...
Bears expand stadium search to include Indiana
The Chicago Bears are exploring locations for a new stadium outside the city and even outside Illinois after multiple plans hit stumbling blocks over concerns about the cost to taxpayers.
www.espn.com

Very good article from Professor Lindsey Darvin on the WNBA salary negotiations.

Everyone focuses on what happens the owners claim will happen if they owners don't get their way.

This article reviews the costs to the owners if the players are denied again!

www.forbes.com/sites/lindse...
www.forbes.com

Reposted by David J. Berri

When you ask AI to create the issue of your magazine for you!

Reposted by David J. Berri

Axios @axios.com · 14d
NEW: AI architects are Time magazine's 2025 "Person of the Year"
AI architects are Time magazine's 2025 "Person of the Year"
"Artificial intelligence's full potential roared into view," the magazine said.
www.axios.com

Your reminder that we are ignorant of the vast majority of human history.

Well... those who study history are ignorant of the vast majority of human history.

For those who don't study history, the level of ignorance is slightly higher! 🤣

Current Super Bowl MVP has one bad game and someone asks have he should be benched.

We should hear who asked this question.

Hurts is obviously a top quarterback in the league. All QBs have up and down games and even up and down seasons.

www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/...
Sirianni on possibly benching Hurts: 'Ridiculous'
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said quarterback Jalen Hurts is "absolutely" his starter for Sunday's game against the Raiders and called it "ridiculous" when asked about the possibility of making a change...
www.espn.com

If the report is true, the WNBA players will continue to be paid worse than the men of the NBA at any point in their history.

Even when the NBA was 1/15th the size of the WNBA today, the men got a much bigger share of revenue.

I argue this is because the men of the NBA "like it this way".

Reposted by Rodney Fort

It's reported the WNBA players now just asking for 30% of league revenue.

wagesofwins.substack.com/p/because-th...

So I wrote:

if we look at the entire NBA history we can’t find one instance where the men only got 7% of revenue.
... or only got 15% of revenue
... or only got 30% of the revenue.
Because the "Men Like It" This Way
Why the NBA Is Offering the Women of the WNBA a Worse Deal than the Men of the NBA Ever Received
wagesofwins.substack.com