Victor Matheson
@victor-matheson.bsky.social
Sports and gambling economist at College of the Holy Cross, former President of North American Association of Sports Economists, current VP of National Association of Forensic Economics, aging soccer referee
Pinned
Meet Dr. No
Economics Professor Victor Matheson, Ph.D., sets you straight on winning the lottery, the real cost of major sporting events and if there’s such a thing as a safe bet.
magazine.holycross.edu
I am featured in the latest issue of the Holy Cross Magazine. If you want to read way more about Victor Matheson than you have ever imagined, this is your big chance!
magazine.holycross.edu/stories/meet...
magazine.holycross.edu/stories/meet...
I just found an old midterm of mine from September 29, 1999. On that test I asked, "Should the U.S. Treasury abolish the penny?"
Looks like I was 25 years ahead of my time.
apnews.com/article/us-m...
Looks like I was 25 years ahead of my time.
apnews.com/article/us-m...
US Mint presses final pennies as production ends after more than 230 years
The U.S. has ended production of the penny. The last 1-cent coins were made Wednesday at the mint in Philadelphia.
apnews.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:34 AM
I just found an old midterm of mine from September 29, 1999. On that test I asked, "Should the U.S. Treasury abolish the penny?"
Looks like I was 25 years ahead of my time.
apnews.com/article/us-m...
Looks like I was 25 years ahead of my time.
apnews.com/article/us-m...
I am sure this is just a misunderstanding. Who amongst us soccer referees hasn't accidentally placed 18,227 bets on soccer matches?
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Turkish authorities arrest eight people and suspend 1,024 players in betting investigation
Turkish authorities have arrested eight people, include a top-flight club chairman, while the country’s FA has suspended 1,024 players
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:25 PM
I am sure this is just a misunderstanding. Who amongst us soccer referees hasn't accidentally placed 18,227 bets on soccer matches?
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
I think 2 things here:
1. The chance that Trump forces FIFA to move games out of Boston or other blue cities is now 0%.
2. The winner of the prize is pre-ordained in order to get the answer in part 1.
Just total corruption (and for once I am not talking about FIFA!)
apnews.com/article/fifa...
1. The chance that Trump forces FIFA to move games out of Boston or other blue cities is now 0%.
2. The winner of the prize is pre-ordained in order to get the answer in part 1.
Just total corruption (and for once I am not talking about FIFA!)
apnews.com/article/fifa...
FIFA announces new peace prize to be awarded at World Cup draw in Washington
FIFA has announced the creation of a peace prize, which it plans to award for the first time at the World Cup draw on Dec. 5 in Washington.
apnews.com
November 5, 2025 at 6:16 PM
I think 2 things here:
1. The chance that Trump forces FIFA to move games out of Boston or other blue cities is now 0%.
2. The winner of the prize is pre-ordained in order to get the answer in part 1.
Just total corruption (and for once I am not talking about FIFA!)
apnews.com/article/fifa...
1. The chance that Trump forces FIFA to move games out of Boston or other blue cities is now 0%.
2. The winner of the prize is pre-ordained in order to get the answer in part 1.
Just total corruption (and for once I am not talking about FIFA!)
apnews.com/article/fifa...
Somehow I sound much more authoritative when translated into German!
And yeah, the NBA gambling scandal is a big enough deal to get attention across the pond.
open.spotify.com/episode/6qQs...
And yeah, the NBA gambling scandal is a big enough deal to get attention across the pond.
open.spotify.com/episode/6qQs...
Basketball - NBA: Nach der Enthüllung des Betrugsskandals
open.spotify.com
October 29, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Somehow I sound much more authoritative when translated into German!
And yeah, the NBA gambling scandal is a big enough deal to get attention across the pond.
open.spotify.com/episode/6qQs...
And yeah, the NBA gambling scandal is a big enough deal to get attention across the pond.
open.spotify.com/episode/6qQs...
It will take more than a few bad headlines for sports leagues to turn away from the deluge of gambling money.
I have to admit I feel a bit star-struck to be one of two experts quoted along with Michael Lewis of Moneyball and Liar's Poker fame.
www.cnn.com/2025/10/25/b...
I have to admit I feel a bit star-struck to be one of two experts quoted along with Michael Lewis of Moneyball and Liar's Poker fame.
www.cnn.com/2025/10/25/b...
How sports gambling has become crucial to leagues’ bottom lines | CNN Business
Do you think that the NBA gambling scandal will cause leagues to put some distance between themselves and sports gambling? Don’t bet on it.
www.cnn.com
October 27, 2025 at 12:07 PM
It will take more than a few bad headlines for sports leagues to turn away from the deluge of gambling money.
I have to admit I feel a bit star-struck to be one of two experts quoted along with Michael Lewis of Moneyball and Liar's Poker fame.
www.cnn.com/2025/10/25/b...
I have to admit I feel a bit star-struck to be one of two experts quoted along with Michael Lewis of Moneyball and Liar's Poker fame.
www.cnn.com/2025/10/25/b...
All I know is that it is a lot cheaper to hear me talk about ticket prices on NPR's Morning Edition today than it is to buy tickets to any sporting events nowadays.
www.npr.org/2025/10/23/n...
www.npr.org/2025/10/23/n...
Sports ticket prices are getting more expensive — and pricing out many fans
For sports fans, there's nothing as exciting as going to see your team play. But what was once an affordable form of entertainment is becoming increasingly more expensive and pricing some loyal fans o...
www.npr.org
October 23, 2025 at 3:49 PM
All I know is that it is a lot cheaper to hear me talk about ticket prices on NPR's Morning Edition today than it is to buy tickets to any sporting events nowadays.
www.npr.org/2025/10/23/n...
www.npr.org/2025/10/23/n...
Reposted by Victor Matheson
Mamdani hasn’t been elected yet and he’s already driving criminals out of New York.
October 22, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Mamdani hasn’t been elected yet and he’s already driving criminals out of New York.
I am shocked, shocked I tell you, to find out that the Worcester MiLB baseball stadium has not lived up to its economic expectations!
www.telegram.com/story/news/l...
www.telegram.com/story/news/l...
Report: Another deficit projected for Polar Park fund this year
A report from the city solicitor says the amount owed by the Polar Park Ballpark District Improvement Financing fund will soon exceed $2 million.
www.telegram.com
October 22, 2025 at 3:26 PM
I am shocked, shocked I tell you, to find out that the Worcester MiLB baseball stadium has not lived up to its economic expectations!
www.telegram.com/story/news/l...
www.telegram.com/story/news/l...
Happy to be featured on the latest episode of Freakonomics Radio discussing the crazy(???) idea of the NFL and NCAA merging and forming a promotion/relegation league.
freakonomics.com/podcast/the-...
freakonomics.com/podcast/the-...
The Merger You Never Knew You Wanted - Freakonomics
The Merger You Never Knew You Wanted - Freakonomics
freakonomics.com
October 3, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Happy to be featured on the latest episode of Freakonomics Radio discussing the crazy(???) idea of the NFL and NCAA merging and forming a promotion/relegation league.
freakonomics.com/podcast/the-...
freakonomics.com/podcast/the-...
I am passing up a B-52s/Devo concert to attend this
“Insights into Educational Inequality” better be as much a banger as “Whip It” or “Love Shack”!
“Insights into Educational Inequality” better be as much a banger as “Whip It” or “Love Shack”!
October 2, 2025 at 3:14 PM
I am passing up a B-52s/Devo concert to attend this
“Insights into Educational Inequality” better be as much a banger as “Whip It” or “Love Shack”!
“Insights into Educational Inequality” better be as much a banger as “Whip It” or “Love Shack”!
Why is everyone buying lottery tickets? I will tell you on @marketplace.org!
www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...
www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...
Why is everyone buying lottery tickets?
With $103 billion spent on tickets in 2023, big jackpots and economic stress continue to fuel America’s lottery habit.
www.marketplace.org
September 19, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Why is everyone buying lottery tickets? I will tell you on @marketplace.org!
www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...
www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...
I don't know why anyone would trust a (reverse)carpetbagger like you to know anything about the Worcester sports market.
It's just too bad there aren't any decent sports economists in Worcester who could have given the city decent advice about the stadium.
It's just too bad there aren't any decent sports economists in Worcester who could have given the city decent advice about the stadium.
Gosh, if only City officials had been warned forcefully and repeatedly by many knowledgeable experts that this is exactly what would happen.
Polar Park's second inning: Almost five years into a 35-year project, WooSox are still drawing fans, but key parcels are underutilized
Since a tense November meeting between Worcester Redevelopment Authority and key ballpark district stakeholder Madison Properties, not much has changed in terms of groundbreakings or sales at Madison-...
www.wbjournal.com
September 10, 2025 at 7:39 PM
I don't know why anyone would trust a (reverse)carpetbagger like you to know anything about the Worcester sports market.
It's just too bad there aren't any decent sports economists in Worcester who could have given the city decent advice about the stadium.
It's just too bad there aren't any decent sports economists in Worcester who could have given the city decent advice about the stadium.
Here's a good article showing how far Trump has split MAGA and traditional business Republicans. AEI, a wildly conservative traditional thinktank, is talking about how to improve electric cars. Trump is talking about how to eliminate them.
www.aei.org/research-pro...
www.aei.org/research-pro...
www.aei.org
September 9, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Here's a good article showing how far Trump has split MAGA and traditional business Republicans. AEI, a wildly conservative traditional thinktank, is talking about how to improve electric cars. Trump is talking about how to eliminate them.
www.aei.org/research-pro...
www.aei.org/research-pro...
But to be fair, Steve Ballmer living out his midlife crisis by buying a sports team with his billions is probably better than Elon Musk living out his midlife crisis by destroying democracy.
Sounds like a group well deserving of taxpayer assistance.
America’s Richest Sports Team Owners 2025
The top 20 owners on The Forbes 400 are worth $607 billion, up 20% from 2024. And with the cutoff rising to $10.1 billion, the club is more exclusive than ever.
www.forbes.com
September 9, 2025 at 3:46 PM
But to be fair, Steve Ballmer living out his midlife crisis by buying a sports team with his billions is probably better than Elon Musk living out his midlife crisis by destroying democracy.
Good job by the state of Illinois understanding the basics of stadium finance. While you ***might*** be able to argue for local subsidies, there is no way the state makes anything simply moving a stadium from one location in the state to another.
frontofficesports.com/bears-withou...
frontofficesports.com/bears-withou...
Bears, Without State Funding, Officially Pivot Stadium to Suburbs
The Bears have declared their days along the downtown Chicago lakefront as numbered, announcing plans for a new stadium in Arlington Heights.
frontofficesports.com
September 9, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Good job by the state of Illinois understanding the basics of stadium finance. While you ***might*** be able to argue for local subsidies, there is no way the state makes anything simply moving a stadium from one location in the state to another.
frontofficesports.com/bears-withou...
frontofficesports.com/bears-withou...
I wonder if any economists have studied the economic benefits of new stadiums…
September 2, 2025 at 9:36 PM
I wonder if any economists have studied the economic benefits of new stadiums…
So, the US military is now engaging in extrajudicial assassinations of citizens of countries we are not at war with?
That somehow sounds bad when I say it like that...
www.cnn.com/2025/09/02/p...
That somehow sounds bad when I say it like that...
www.cnn.com/2025/09/02/p...
US military ‘conducted a lethal strike’ on alleged ‘drug vessel’ in southern Caribbean, Rubio says | CNN Politics
The United States “conducted a lethal strike” against an alleged “drug vessel” in the southern Caribbean, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday.
www.cnn.com
September 2, 2025 at 8:19 PM
So, the US military is now engaging in extrajudicial assassinations of citizens of countries we are not at war with?
That somehow sounds bad when I say it like that...
www.cnn.com/2025/09/02/p...
That somehow sounds bad when I say it like that...
www.cnn.com/2025/09/02/p...
It is wildly depressing that our primary economic data collection agency is now slated to be run by a guy with such poor qualifications that he wouldn't be competitive for an assistant professor job at my college.
www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-bls-nominee-e-j-antoni-suspending-monthly-jobs-report/
www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-bls-nominee-e-j-antoni-suspending-monthly-jobs-report/
Trump's BLS nominee E.J. Antoni suggests suspending monthly jobs report
E.J. Antoni, an economist nominated by President Trump to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, said the jobs report is flawed.
www.cbsnews.com
August 12, 2025 at 6:28 PM
It is wildly depressing that our primary economic data collection agency is now slated to be run by a guy with such poor qualifications that he wouldn't be competitive for an assistant professor job at my college.
www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-bls-nominee-e-j-antoni-suspending-monthly-jobs-report/
www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-bls-nominee-e-j-antoni-suspending-monthly-jobs-report/
Can’t we think of a more efficient use of taxpayer money like maybe sports stadiums?
www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
Duffy to announce nuclear reactor on the moon
This is the first major agency effort by the interim NASA administrator, who is also the Transportation secretary and a former Fox News host.
www.politico.com
August 4, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Can’t we think of a more efficient use of taxpayer money like maybe sports stadiums?
www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
Met this guy walking with my dog today.
Fortunately coyotes are typically only dangerous if you have small animals, your pet is unleashed, or the coyote is carrying any packages labeled “ACME”.
Fortunately coyotes are typically only dangerous if you have small animals, your pet is unleashed, or the coyote is carrying any packages labeled “ACME”.
August 3, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Met this guy walking with my dog today.
Fortunately coyotes are typically only dangerous if you have small animals, your pet is unleashed, or the coyote is carrying any packages labeled “ACME”.
Fortunately coyotes are typically only dangerous if you have small animals, your pet is unleashed, or the coyote is carrying any packages labeled “ACME”.
Reposted by Victor Matheson
Statement from the largest economics association about the BLS firing
As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements
This is a big deal
As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements
This is a big deal
August 2, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Statement from the largest economics association about the BLS firing
As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements
This is a big deal
As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements
This is a big deal
Reposted by Victor Matheson
This is what totalitarian regimes do, cook the numbers to please Dear Leader
#ProudBlue Typical for the felon - the jobs number isn’t his responsibility - let’s fire the messenger. 🙄🤬
Trump demands official overseeing jobs data be fired after dismal employment report.
apnews.com/article/trum...
Trump demands official overseeing jobs data be fired after dismal employment report.
apnews.com/article/trum...
Trump demands official overseeing jobs data be fired after dismal employment report
President Donald Trump said Friday that he has directed his team to fire the head of the agency that produces the monthly jobs figures, after a weak report showed hiring slowed and was much weaker in ...
apnews.com
August 1, 2025 at 7:38 PM
This is what totalitarian regimes do, cook the numbers to please Dear Leader
Trump in a social media post said Erika McEntarfer, the BLS commissioner, would be “replaced with someone much more competent and qualified,” asserting without evidence that the government’s jobs numbers have been manipulated for political purposes.
This is bad. Like East Germany or Zimbabwe bad.
This is bad. Like East Germany or Zimbabwe bad.
August 1, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Trump in a social media post said Erika McEntarfer, the BLS commissioner, would be “replaced with someone much more competent and qualified,” asserting without evidence that the government’s jobs numbers have been manipulated for political purposes.
This is bad. Like East Germany or Zimbabwe bad.
This is bad. Like East Germany or Zimbabwe bad.
Reposted by Victor Matheson
Just so’s we’re all clear, almost 3/4 of everything we buy from Europe is now 15% more expensive.
July 28, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Just so’s we’re all clear, almost 3/4 of everything we buy from Europe is now 15% more expensive.
Just to be clear, the new EU trade deal should be reported as massive tariff increase. Just because the 15% tariff is smaller than Trump had threatened, it is still a massive increase over rates that prevailed under Biden, Obama, or Bush.
Not a win for economy, just a smaller loss.
Not a win for economy, just a smaller loss.
July 27, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Just to be clear, the new EU trade deal should be reported as massive tariff increase. Just because the 15% tariff is smaller than Trump had threatened, it is still a massive increase over rates that prevailed under Biden, Obama, or Bush.
Not a win for economy, just a smaller loss.
Not a win for economy, just a smaller loss.