The Peculiar Economics of Government Policy towards Sport

Professional team sports enjoy subsidies from government, as well as regulatory exemption from standards that apply to other sectors of the economy. The Australian sports economics literature has, however, focused on competitive balance, with few studies examining government policies. This paper examines government policies such as subsidies, mega-event bidding, salary caps and player draft systems. We argue that the peculiar nature of professional sports provides some justification for such distinctive government policies. However, there is need for greater transparency, better-directed funding, and genuine public debate on some of these policies to enable considered evaluation of their benefits and costs.