J.C. Bradbury, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Economics | Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw, GA, UNITED STATES
J.C. Bradbury is an economics professor at Kennesaw State.
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Biography
J.C. Bradbury is an economics professor at Kennesaw State University in suburban Atlanta. Bradbury is the author of two books, "The Baseball Economist" and "Hot Stove Economics" and many academic journal articles. Bradbury also ran the blog Sabernomics.com, which offered commentary on current topics in baseball economics, for several years. His research largely focuses on the economics of sports. Bradbury received his Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University in 2000, and his B.A. from Wofford College in 1996.
Industry Expertise (3)
Sport - Professional
Education/Learning
Research
Areas of Expertise (6)
Sports Economics
Industrial Organization
Public Economics
Regulation
Consulting -Legal
Consulting -Statistical Analysis
Education (3)
George Mason University: Ph.D., Economics 2000
George Mason University: M.A., Economics 1998
Wofford College: B.A., Economics and Philosophy 1996
Media Appearances (8)
Deal or No Deal: Atlanta city council to decide on proposed deal to develop The Gulch
11Alive
2017-09-19
“The reason that a lot of companies don’t want to develop the Gulch is that it’s not a good place to develop," Bradbury said. "Because of some physical infrastructure deficiencies that are very difficult to fix, and very expensive to fix.”
Party scene around Braves’ SunTrust Park stadium missing one piece
Atlanta Journal-Constitution print
2018-08-14
Kennesaw State University economics professor J.C. Bradbury said he isn’t surprised The Battery is drawing restaurant and bar crowds...
SunTrust Park: Is it a home run or are taxpayers being played?
Atlanta Journal-Constitution print
2018-02-02
“That’s fine if politicians say we would like to raise your taxes to bring a sports team to town,” Bradbury told Huddleston. “But that’s never how it’s sold.”
NFL Star Calls for End of Stadium Subsidies
The Heartland Institute
2016-08-01
"J.C. Bradbury, an economist and professor of sports management at Kennesaw State University, says sports stadium subsidies don’t just fail to provide economic benefits to communities, they often damage cities’ economic health..."
Rise Up: Officials Say Falcons Stadium Cost is Up to $1.6 Billion
11 Alive
2016-06-16
"'In the scale of these numbers you're talking an extra hundred million dollars in a $1.5, $1.6 billion project. It doesn’t seem like that much. But it really is,' said Dr. JC Bradbury, a stadium funding expert at Kennesaw State University..."
Will the Falcons’ Plan to Lure Fans with Cheap Concessions Work?
Atlanta Magazine
2016-05-19
"'[Cheap concessions] are being considered charity: ‘We’re looking out for our fans,’' said J.C. Bradbury, a sports management professor at Kennesaw State. 'But the reality is that the Falcons are a profit-maximizing company that wants to make money for the owner.'..."
Atlanta Falcons’ Food Menu Bucks Trend To Offer Cheaper Eats
90.1 WABE
2016-05-16
"JC Bradbury, a sports management economist with Kennesaw State University, said the price change isn't just from the goodness of the Falcon management's hearts..."
The Braves Play Taxpayers Better Than They Play Baseball
Bloomberg
2016-04-27
"Instead of padding the city’s budget, the stadium has so far drained $1.6 million, according to J.C. Bradbury, a sports economist at Kennesaw State University..."
Recent Papers (5)
Monopsony and Competition: The Impact of Rival Leagues on Player Salaries During the Early Days of Baseball
Social Sciences Research Network
2015 During the early days of professional baseball, the dominant major leagues imposed a “reserve clause” designed to limit player wages by restricting competition for labor. Entry into the market by rival leagues challenged the incumbent monopsony cartel’s ability to restrict compensation. Using a sample of player salaries from the first 40 years of the reserve clause (1880-1919), this study examines the impact of inter-league competition on player wages. Positive salary effects are observed during the twentieth century, but not during the nineteenth century. Structural differences in the competitive environments may explain differences in the effects between the two eras.
Hired to Be Fired: The Publicity Value of Managers
Social Sciences Research Network
2015 Sports teams frequently fire and hire managers when they experience losing. However, determining managerial responsibility for player performance is difficult to measure. This study examines how major-league baseball players perform under different managers and estimates that managers have little effect on performance. The study further investigates whether or not replacing managers serves as a signal to fans that the team is improving, which boosts attendance. The results indicate that new managers were associated with increased attendance in the 2000s; however, such effects were not present in the 1980s and 1990s.
What Is Right With Scully Estimates of a Player’s Marginal Revenue Product
Journal of Sports Economics
2013 Krautmann contends that Scully’s method for estimating the marginal revenue products of baseball players using team revenues is flawed. Krautmann suggests an alternate method that uses free-agent salaries to impute players' revenue contributions. The Scully method has its weaknesses; however, its flaws are not as serious as Krautmann claims. Though Krautmann’s free market returns method offers a useful approach for estimating players' marginal revenue products, it suffers from deficiencies that the Scully method avoids; thus, it is not necessarily superior to revenue-based estimates.
Did Jose Canseco Really Improve the Performance of His Teammates by Spreading Steroids? A Critique of Gould and Kaplan
Econ Journal Watch
2013 In an article titled “Learning Unethical Practices from a Co-worker: The Peer Effect of Jose Canseco,” published in Labour Economics in 2011, Eric Gould and Todd Kaplan use baseball player Jose Canseco to study peer effects among co-workers. Their analysis focuses on Canseco spreading knowledge of performance-enhancing drugs to teammates. The authors claim to find evidence of Canseco’s influence through the improved performance of his former teammates. This paper reexamines the performance of Canseco’s teammates and finds no empirical evidence of a performance improvement among Canseco’s teammates. In addition, I contend that Gould and Kaplan’s own empirical findings do not support some of the claims they make.
The Impact of Pitch Counts and Days of Rest on Performance Among Major-League Baseball Pitchers
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
2012 The impact of pitch counts and days of rest on performance among major-league baseball pitchers. J Strength Cond Res 26(5): 1181–1187, 2012. Although the belief that overuse can harm pitchers is widespread, there exists little evidence to show that the number of pitches thrown and the days of rest affect future performance and injury among adults. The purpose of this study is to quantify the effects of pitches thrown and the days of rest on pitcher performance.