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Rodney Fort 🐀

@rodneyfort.bsky.social
854 followers 130 following 1.3K posts

Sports economist. Emeritus Professor of Sport Management, University of Michigan.

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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 19h
Reminder, it is the NBA that is hiring the new WNBA commissioner. www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...
sportsbusinessjournal.com
Sources: NBA hires Excel Search & Advisory to lead WNBA commissioner search
The NBA league office has retained Excel Search & Advisory to lead its search for the next WNBA commissioner, multiple sources told SBJ, jumpstarting a hiring process that will ultimately be made by N...
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
$17.4B market cap for Maple Leafs, Raptors, Toronto FC, Toronto Argonauts, plus Scotiabank Arena. www.nytimes.com/athletic/765...
nytimes.com
Rogers becomes sole owner of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment after purchasing remaining stake
The telecommunications giant now has total control over the Maple Leafs, Raptors, Toronto FC, Argonauts and Scotiabank Arena.
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Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter @realbachscore.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The US Senate just overwhelmingly passed a sweeping college sports bill. (It still needs to pass the House to become law.) Here’s what it does and how we got here: www.wsj.com/sports/prote...
wsj.com
The Senate Just Passed a College Sports Law. Here’s What It Does.
The bill, which would cap athlete pay and transfers, still needs to pass the House to become law. President Trump is a strong supporter.
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Why isn’t the picture of management that broke the rules? Why a pic of star player? This bias is always there.
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Brian Mills @bmmillsy.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I'm sorry, but there is no way you'll be able to guess the context in which this came up: www.chronicle.com/liveblog/her...
chronicle.com
Oregon State U. Provost Says He Left LSU Over Governor’s Demand for a Live Tiger
Roy Haggerty said Louisiana’s governor had “ordered” the university’s president to arrange for a caged tiger to appear at a football game.
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Todd Pugatch @toddpugatch.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Tullock is right again. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/b...
nytimes.com
Battle of Hospital A.I. vs. Insurer A.I. Is Pushing Medical Costs Higher
The use of artificial intelligence by hospitals and health insurers is escalating their longstanding feud over paying for medical care.
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
In 1967 paper, “The Welfare Costs of Tariffs, Monopolies, and Theft, Tullock laid the logic and remedy bare. Centralized rules and immovable enforcement. Since university admins will do neither (see grade inflation), expect more waste by faculty and students. www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
theatlantic.com
The Pangram Backlash Unfolding on College Campuses
Professors are tearing their hair out over AI detectors.
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Stacey Brook @staceybrook.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
DII Lander University in South Carolina estimates it will take them 5 hours at a cost of $212.85 to locate and email fewer than 10 pdf files. #FOIA
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Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter @realbachscore.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Exclusive: This super donor is quarterbacking Michigan sports from a waterfront estate in Florida: Jolin Ellison, class of 2012, international studies graduate and billionaire Larry Ellison’s sixth wife.  w/@emilyglazer.bsky.social www.wsj.com/sports/footb...
wsj.com
Exclusive | The Super Donor Quarterbacking Michigan Sports: Larry Ellison’s Wife
University of Michigan graduate Jolin Ellison wields a deep pocket and a powerful voice directed at winning football and basketball games.
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Just, WOW. Silver works for the owners. The Ballmer penalty is all of the other owners telling a member to knock it off. Holding the line on the cap invites cheating. But cheating raises all costs. Silver just delivers the message. www.nytimes.com/athletic/759...
nytimes.com
In closing door on Clippers, Adam Silver sends a message to NBA's owner class
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David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Steve Ballmer is going to be forced to leave the Clippers for one year. Today I wrote about how the fact no one thinks this really matters to the Clippers tells us quite a bit about the importance of business leaders. And why owners never strike! www.thesling.org/why-dont-the...
thesling.org
Why Don't the Sports Owners Strike? - The Sling
In sports, it is well understood that the players win the titles.
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John Thorn @johnthorn.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
America's National Game, 1901: The founding of the American League, and other "rival leagues." ourgame.mlblogs.com/americas-nat...
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#BaseballandtheLaw⚾️🏛️ @baseballandlaw.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
“[F]or the first time in the history of baseball the color line has been drawn...The Browns were in open revolt last night" p 1 ny times 9/12/1887 The St Louis Browns staged a mutiny refusing to play against the NY Cuban Giants, a prominent negro team #BaseballandtheLaw 627-2
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Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter @realbachscore.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Some people say college sports in the player-pay era is chaos. To many athletes, it's been life-changing for them and their families. For instance: Some college football players are buying their own homes, gaining a foothold on lifelong financial stability. www.wsj.com/real-estate/...
wsj.com
College Athletes Used to Live in Dorms. Now They’re Buying Million-Dollar Homes.
Football players are using their NIL earnings to purchase properties in college towns. “This can change our lives forever.”
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 11/09/2026
Isao Harimoto, who survived the Hiroshima atomic bombing as a child and went on to have more hits than anyone else in the history of Japanese baseball, died on Wednesday. He was 86.
nyti.ms
Isao Harimoto, Hiroshima Survivor and a Baseball Star in Japan, Dies at 86
A Korean-Japanese slugger known as Hit Machine, he was one of Japanese baseball’s greatest hitters in a career that lasted more than 20 years.
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John Thorn @johnthorn.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
New York Highlanders/Yankees open at home, April 14, 1908, vs Philadelphia.
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I chuckle every time. The WNBA commissioner is hired by the NBA commissioner. And directly works for the NBA BOG. While mgt-player interests coincide, expect new commissioner to obey their employer. www.nytimes.com/athletic/757...
nytimes.com
The WNBA outgrew the job it hired Cathy Engelbert to do
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
The whole tryth snd nothing but. www.derekthompson.org/p/the-americ...
derekthompson.org
The American Sports Plutocracy Is Bullshit
American sports laws amount to a kind of out-in-the-open conspiracy to help a lucky few billionaires get much, much richer
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Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter @realbachscore.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Not long ago, many college kickers weren’t even on scholarship. In the NIL era, they’ve created an informal network to share pay information and win big raises. “They basically self-created their own market.” www.wsj.com/sports/footb...
wsj.com
College Football Kickers Were Underpaid. Then They Started Texting.
Players at the afterthought position have created a quiet but powerful information network and are leveraging it for big pay raises.
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Defector @defector.com · 07/09/2026
Baseball's labor history is repeating itself once again: defector.com/baseballs-la...
defector.com
Baseball's Labor History Is Repeating Itself Once Again | Defector
Major League Baseball’s upcoming CBA negotiations have generally been framed around the question of the salary cap. Owners want it. Players don’t. The rest of it—Juan Soto makes $50 million a year, a…
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
So every coach whose team is behind should demand refs check the BiG Clock to be sure every quarter really ended and at the end of every game to be sure the game ended. And is the BiG the only one? Is the white hat earpieced in to the BiG Clock? FOD.
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Blue Crab @bcrab101.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
I'm thinking Sue Bird.
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Hmm. As I understand it, the WNBA BOG (owners) vet candidates and NBA Conmissioner makes final choice. So she clearly works for them. Ultimately must do what they want. No other major sport commissioner is everything to everybody. www.nytimes.com/athletic/756...
nytimes.com
Wanted: A new WNBA commissioner. She must be everything to everyone
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Eben Novy-Williams @ebennovywilliams.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
How often do Stan Kroenke-owned teams play? We crunched the numbers. - If you add the Angels, his major teams will play on 311 different days this year - Some days have five teams in action! - Longest stretch is 34 straight days - Longest drought is four days Take a spin 👇
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
populous.com/article/the-...
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
2/2 And all eyes turn to Silver who still speaks for the WNBA. Why does WNBA continue to negotiate with the puppet rather than the puppet master?
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
1/2 Should rename the position. Assistant to the NBA commissioner. That appears to be the way it works. Just being realistic. NBA owns 42% WNBA equity, NBA still picks up any excess WNBA operating expense, and NBA owners own 10/18 WNBA teams. www.nytimes.com/athletic/756...
nytimes.com
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert retiring at end of 2026
Engelbert’s tenure as the first WNBA commissioner has been marked by financial success, but she's been criticized for her leadership style.
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I find it funny that Mr Moreno, who grew an asset Fromm $334M to $4B (11.4% inflation adjusted CAGR!), is deemed inept. Like that result was just dumb luck. Angry fans and sportswriters need to remember that the “LA market” is for the Dodgers. And looks like Moreno figured his out quite well.
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Andy "Andyfa" Schwarz @andyhre.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Repeating this rhetorical question for the morning crowd. I'm seriously perplexed why the NCAA is arguing that because someone *failed* to make a pro team, their decision to return to college is obviously fake, when those people are the most likely to realize they need to fall back on a degree.
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Jonathan Judge @bachlaw.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
This is shocking. A salary cap should have generated immediate parity. Worthy of investigation.
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Andy "Andyfa" Schwarz @andyhre.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Whenever I hear people say "we need to exempt the NCAA from the law" after a judge rules that what the NCAA is doing is illegal, I just want to ask them: maybe the better path would be to create NCAA rules that aren't illegal? A short thread.
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Funny one. Quirk and I saw *Paydirt* published in 1992. While a very small amount now, I received royalties every year since. Just saw a deposit today. Funny to me.
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 30/08/2026
Maria Edgeworth, a famous Irish novelist at the turn of the 19th century, sneaked economic theory into her best-selling novels. Two centuries later, a new book finally gives her the credit she deserves.
nyti.ms
“The Invisible Hand of Maria Edgeworth”: An Economist, Erased
Maria Edgeworth sneaked economic theory into her best-selling novels. Two centuries later, a new book finally gives her the credit she deserves.
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Andy "Andyfa" Schwarz @andyhre.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
I wonder what CFP's ownership strcuture's market share is in the labor market this would impact. (original at x.com/RossDellenge...)
CFP executives are continuing discussion on implementing participation rules that would disqualify programs rostering certain athletes, including former professional football players, sources tell 
@YahooSports
.

A meeting next week is expected to solidify a decision.
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Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter @realbachscore.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Update — and this is absolutely true — an Oklahoma State official just confirmed that the Cowboys have completed their 2026 football roster. They have *92* new players.
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Tangotiger @tangotiger.com · 27/08/2026
This is a terrific read for those who are baseball historians and the monumental effort it took to find and digitize scoresheets. Without this work, @fangraphs.com and @baseball-reference.com would be severely lacking in data www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...
amazon.com
How Retrosheet Saved Baseball History: Wigley, Jay: 9798252055732: Amazon.com: Books
How Retrosheet Saved Baseball History [Wigley, Jay] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. How Retrosheet Saved Baseball History
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Andy "Andyfa" Schwarz @andyhre.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I hope the SEC and Big Ten used "bag man" rules for their cross-conference disucssions of conference-level rulemaking or else discovery is going to be nasty for them.
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Interesting. If you’re watching FIFA v member orgs. frontofficesports.com/europe-fifa-...
frontofficesports.com
Europe Set To Drop FIFA Boycott Ahead of Women’s U-20 World Cup
UEFA countries still represent the strongest opposition to Gianni Infantino.
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Show me any other student who is barred from pursuing funding to further their education if they take a foray into employment and change their minds. www.nytimes.com/athletic/753...
nytimes.com
Kudos to the Big Ten for taking a stand. Will the SEC issue another statement?
Some issues, like this one, aren’t very complicated. The Big Ten gets to take a victory lap because of it.
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
I wonder if the credits rransfer to other colleges? Better ask your A.I. Clone Registrars. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/22/b...
nytimes.com
Harvard Is Selling a $699 Course Taught by A.I. Clones of Its Faculty
To create a new bootcamp for entrepreneurs, Harvard Business School made A.I. avatars of its instructors.
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
No Snoqualmie Falls Lodge (SnoqualmieFalls.com), no test. www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/r...
nytimes.com
The Pancake Mixes We’d Use on a Sunday Morning
We tasted 16 popular store-bought pancake mixes and found four favorites, ranging from thick and fluffy to thin and chewy.
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Well…SD ranks right in the middle of MLB teams. So not really small market by a meaningful economic measure. And…Forbes valuations: Marlins $1.4B lowest. NYY $8.5B highest. Midpoint is $4.95B. So relatively, SD is closer to midpoint rather than “behemoth”. www.nytimes.com/athletic/752...
nytimes.com
How the Padres defied small-market constraints and became a $3.9 billion behemoth
The underdog Padres, who play in the sport’s smallest television market, emerged as the most expensive MLB franchise ever sold.
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John Thorn @johnthorn.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Fabulous film by Ken Mars, especially considering that no image of the 1887 National Colored League has survived. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lvmh...
youtube.com
Early Black Baseball in Baltimore 1865-1887 by Ken Mars (2017)
YouTube video by Marsfilms
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Jorge Tovar @jorgeatovar.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
On my way to the European Sports Economics Association (ESEA), Zurich. Always happy to learn. Will be sharing this paper this year
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
There is a “mechanism” or “element”. Not named or detailed. Sigh. www.nytimes.com/athletic/751...
nytimes.com
Jeff Bezos consortium hold option to purchase controlling stake in Liverpool per terms of deal
As part of the agreement with FSG there is a mechanism that could see 1892 Holdings purchase a controlling stake in the club.
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Erica Block @ericablockparty.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
lfg @baseball-reference.com ftw
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Eugene Freedman @eugenefreedman.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Best Randy Milligan pic ever.
When they officially placed home plate at the Camden Yards site that would become Orioles Park. Elrod Hendricks catching the pitcher, who I cannot determine. The Marriott in the background barely blocking view of 1/3 of the base of the Bromo-Seltzer Tower. Now obscured by the eyesore Hilton.
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Eben Novy-Williams @ebennovywilliams.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Read the full column here: club.sportico.com/p/kushner-la...
club.sportico.com
The Lakers Are a Massive Bet on AI Disruption
Joshua Kushner is buying the Lakers because sports are relatively insulated from the economic havoc looming from the rest of his portfolio. That's not a hedge against AI, it's a doubling down.
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Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Past as prologue. Chicago and state antitrust authorities both sue the NFL and get a back-fill expansion team very soon. www.nytimes.com/athletic/750...
nytimes.com
Chicago Bears say Indiana is now ‘sole focus’ of stadium search
Amid "minimal" discussions with Illinois lawmakers, the franchise's leaders said their focus on securing a site in Indiana.
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