The sports industry is the only industry in the world that commands its own section of the newspaper. Ever-increasing digital, newsprint, and magazine column inches are being devoted to the
business of sports each year. A sampling of the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune on January 29, 2007, for example, showed that 10 out of the 42 sports-related articles in
all of the papers combined dealt with some aspect of sports business and focused on off-field activity in the industry. The Wall Street Journal even added a sports section of its own at the
beginning of March; Twitter lists dozens of sports business feeds. The casual fan is kept in the dark about to what degree this "pastime" is an incredibly complex multinational operation on par
with the biggest Fortune 100 companies, and even with small governments. What are the real components driving this multibillion dollar industry? Who are the alpha team owners - and who are just
second-generation followers? How does a ＄1 billion ballpark get built? What affects the price of your ticket, how you take in a game, what you see on "Sports Center"? Why did free agency change
every aspect of the games? Why is an 8 oz. beer at a stadium ＄10? Horrow and Swatek take an in-depth look at the beyond-the-scenes drivers controlling the fan experience, affecting fans'
perceptions of what happens on the field of play. With a foreword by former National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, Beyond the Box Score focuses primarily on pro football,
basketball, and NASCAR - the biggest revenue-generating segments of the sports industry. The book also contains examples, illustrations, case studies, lists and fantastic facts from all sports
as they are relevant and contribute to the main themes and body of knowledge. We also compare and contrast these top three sports with other team, individual, and niche sports.
