First Mover Advantage in Team Sports

Frank Daumann (), Florian Follert (), Daniel Hamacher () and Lasse Plöhn ()
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Frank Daumann: Friedrich Schiller University
Florian Follert: Seeburg Castle University
Daniel Hamacher: Friedrich Schiller University
Lasse Plöhn: Friedrich Schiller University

Economics Bulletin, 2021, vol. 41, issue 4, 2393-2400

Abstract: In sports it is apparently the case that certain nations are very successful in a specific sport over a long period of time. In this paper the concept of "first mover advantage" is used to explain this phenomenon. We provide preliminary evidence for the connection between early specialization and success for the team sports soccer, volleyball, handball, ice hockey, and rugby. To do this, we examine the relationship between the date of establishment of each national sports association and later success as measured by the country's world ranking in the corresponding sport. We can show that the national date of establishment of a sport is is decisive for the nation's succes in this sport.

Keywords: first mover advantage; success in sports; specialization; innovation; competition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N8 O2 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-12-29
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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