2000/06/01 by Stefan Szymanski · 1 voice · 6 citations
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Sports Analytics and Performance #Sports, Gender, and Society #Sport and Mega-Event Impacts
paper · doi:10.1086/262130
openalex publication_date 2000/06/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
This paper proposes a market test for racial discrimination in salary setting in English league soccer over the period 1978–93 using a balanced panel of 39 clubs. If there is a competitive market for the services of players, the wage bill of the club will reflect their productivity and hence the performance of the club in the league. Discrimination can be said to exist if clubs fielding an above‐average proportion of black players systematically outperform clubs with a below‐average proportion of black players, after one controls for the wage bill. Statistically significant evidence of discrimination in this sense is found.