Rodney Fort 🐀
LightNews LightNews
banner
rodneyfort.bsky.social
Rodney Fort 🐀
@rodneyfort.bsky.social
830 followers 160 following 1K posts

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

Videos
Economics 56%
Political science 12%
Posts Replies Media Videos

rodneyfort.bsky.social
Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 8h
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/b...
Once Wall Street’s High Flyer, Private Equity Loses Its Luster
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Rodney Fort

bwd.bsky.social
Bradford William Davis @bwd.bsky.social · 13h
MLB's tech regulation plans give itself full control over who can do business with baseball.
And I learned an AI scouting firm — founded by the uncle of an exec in Rob Manfred’s inner circle — may win a bid.
Team sources and antitrust experts told me it creates a conflict of interest.

NEW from me:
MLB Teams Fear League Will Pick Winners and Losers in Tech
The league is taking control of the choosing of tech partners, rather than leaving it up to teams; one firm under consideration was founded by a top MLB exec’s uncle.
frontofficesports.com

rodneyfort.bsky.social
Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 1d
I’m sure the US nutcracker industry will take up the slack.🙄
washingtonpost.com The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 2d
Steinbach Nutcrackers are one of the most recognizable German exports of the holiday season.

This year, however, tariffs imposed by President Trump have become a bureaucratic headache for niche businesses that rely on direct-to-consumer shipments.
U.S. tariffs take a bite out of Germany’s iconic nutcracker industry
For family-founded Steinbach Volkskunst, the company’s most reliable market has become its biggest bureaucratic headache.
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Rodney Fort

washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 2d
Steinbach Nutcrackers are one of the most recognizable German exports of the holiday season.

This year, however, tariffs imposed by President Trump have become a bureaucratic headache for niche businesses that rely on direct-to-consumer shipments.
U.S. tariffs take a bite out of Germany’s iconic nutcracker industry
For family-founded Steinbach Volkskunst, the company’s most reliable market has become its biggest bureaucratic headache.
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Rodney Fort

realbachscore.bsky.social
Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter @realbachscore.bsky.social · 2d
🏐💵 Nebraska isn’t in today’s NCAA vball title match but remains the hottest ticket:

10% of seas-ticket holders resold their tix this yr: $600K of tickets went for $3.2M. 😳

But reselling the whole season pack is forbidden. So those holders’ tix will be revoked for 2026.
www.on3.com/teams/nebras...
Tunnel Talk: Former Husker brutally honest about season's end, Reilly's chances at National Player of the Year
Former Husker Sarah Pavan was brutally honest about Nebraska's season ending. Could Bergen Reilly still win NPOTY?
www.on3.com

Reposted by Rodney Fort

Stefan Szymanski @sszy.bsky.social · 5d
Very pleased to see this paper published

rodneyfort.bsky.social
Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 6d
😂The Merrillville Bears😆

rodneyfort.bsky.social
Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 6d
Gee. Hardly any bias here.🙄
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
Column | College athletes deserve to be paid. They don’t deserve tenure.
When you have to go to court to keep playing, it’s probably time to move on and find an actual job.
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Rodney Fort

realbachscore.bsky.social
Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter @realbachscore.bsky.social · 6d
💰 FIFA released 2026 World Cup prize money amounts, which is relevant to the USWNT.

Why? Because it and the USMNT agreed in their current CBA to share all their World Cup prize money:

rodneyfort.bsky.social
Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 7d
This thread. Such a tireless effort by Mr. Brown. And yes, he should sue. No brainer.
mattbrown.bsky.social Matt Brown @mattbrown.bsky.social · 7d
cool idea ESPN! I wonder if anything might have inspired you?

rodneyfort.bsky.social
Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 7d
www.nytimes.com/athletic/682...
The BookKeeper: Real Madrid, the world's richest football club, analysed like never before
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Rodney Fort

mattbrown.bsky.social
Matt Brown @mattbrown.bsky.social · 7d
cool idea ESPN! I wonder if anything might have inspired you?

Reposted by Rodney Fort

andyhre.bsky.social
Andy "Andyfa" Schwarz @andyhre.bsky.social · 11d
Pretty weird -- I was told College Sports was on the verge of bankruptcy, but turns out "Revenues are up, attendance is up, viewership is up." I was also told paying athletes would kill interest in the sport. Who's watching this paid college product, a bunch of aliens?
College leaders adapting to era of change and unapparelled popularity College sports, everyone agrees, is experiencing an era of transformation. From the stage at this week’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum presented by Learfield, Ohio State AD Ross Bjork namechecked a few — COVID, social unrest, NIL, the Alston case, the House settlement, a presidential executive order, sports betting, attempts to pass the SCORE Act — but then added an important top-line summary: “All the things then, but it’s never been more popular,” Bjork said. “Revenues are up, attendance is up, viewership is up. But structurally, we are messy right now.”

rodneyfort.bsky.social
Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 12d
Looks like it goes just fine to me.
washingtonpost.com The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 12d
It’s that time of year when millions fly for the holidays and overhead bins turn into hallway closets. Flight attendants remind passengers that carry-on bags go up and personal items stay down, but many people are not hearing their pleas.
Small bags don’t go in overhead bins. Why do passengers keep trying?
Flight attendants are cracking down on passengers who store coats and small bags in overhead bins.
wapo.st

Reposted by Rodney Fort

washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 12d
It’s that time of year when millions fly for the holidays and overhead bins turn into hallway closets. Flight attendants remind passengers that carry-on bags go up and personal items stay down, but many people are not hearing their pleas.
Small bags don’t go in overhead bins. Why do passengers keep trying?
Flight attendants are cracking down on passengers who store coats and small bags in overhead bins.
wapo.st

rodneyfort.bsky.social
Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 13d
A year older than George Blanda in his 1970 “King of the World” season.

Reposted by Rodney Fort

bmmillsy.bsky.social
Brian Mills @bmmillsy.bsky.social · 13d
New paper up with Steve Salaga and Katie Brown at JSE:

journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...
The Relevance of Betting Market Outcome Uncertainty: Decided Wagers and Television Viewership Loss - Steven Salaga, Brian M Mills, Katie M Brown, 2025
We investigate the strength of the relationship between betting market outcome uncertainty and live television viewership through the mechanism of a decided wag...
journals.sagepub.com

Reposted by Rodney Fort

wagesofwins.bsky.social
David Berri @wagesofwins.bsky.social · 13d
It's reported the WNBA players now just asking for 30% of league revenue.

wagesofwins.substack.com/p/because-th...

So I wrote:

if we look at the entire NBA history we can’t find one instance where the men only got 7% of revenue.
... or only got 15% of revenue
... or only got 30% of the revenue.
Because the "Men Like It" This Way
Why the NBA Is Offering the Women of the WNBA a Worse Deal than the Men of the NBA Ever Received
wagesofwins.substack.com

rodneyfort.bsky.social
Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 14d
Apropos my last. The same goes for airline rule favoring seat recliners. Privatizes space enforcement. Conflict inevitable.

rodneyfort.bsky.social
Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 14d
My wife and I carry on light. Airline rule favors carry on rollers. Enforcement creates a perverse incentive. We should start using a roller so we can store our light carry on overhead? And take up even more overhead space? OK. We will. Sheesh.
www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2025/...
Small bags don’t go in overhead bins. Why do passengers keep trying?
Flight attendants are cracking down on passengers who store coats and small bags in overhead bins.
www.washingtonpost.com

rodneyfort.bsky.social
Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 14d
Yep.
www.sportico.com/law/analysis...
Congress’ SCORE Act Punt Shows Why Judges Call the Shots on NCAA
Congress declining to vote on the SCORE Act highlights that if college sports wants legal help, it should come up with laws that judges find lawful.
www.sportico.com

rodneyfort.bsky.social
Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 15d
Maybe it’s more like ND would rather not face BYU?

Reposted by Rodney Fort

jcbradbury.com
J.C. Bradbury @jcbradbury.com · 15d
Pretty cool article by economist Woody Eckard examining parity between the NL and AA in the Fall 2025 edition of the SABR Baseball Research Journal.
Subscribe to the Fall 2025 print edition of the SABR Baseball Research Journal – Society for American Baseball Research
Register now to join us Feb. 27-Mar. 1, in Phoenix, AZ.
buff.ly

rodneyfort.bsky.social
Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 15d
I could die from not surprise.
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Trump’s Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records Reveal
The Trump administration has argued that Fed board member Lisa Cook may have committed mortgage fraud by declaring more than one primary residence on her loans. We found Trump once did the very thing ...
www.propublica.org

rodneyfort.bsky.social
Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 15d
www.nytimes.com/athletic/687...
College football bowl games can survive player opt-outs. They can’t survive multiple team ones
Notre Dame's opt-out of its bowl game is a gut punch to an increasingly brittle bowl system.
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Rodney Fort

realbachscore.bsky.social
Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter @realbachscore.bsky.social · 15d
Of the push to expand the College Football Playoff, a former Ohio State athletic director said:

“We’re putting (players) into harm’s way for one more game, one more television appearance, one more grand day of revenue. And it’s never enough.”
www.wsj.com/sports/footb...
How the Big Ten Transformed Into College Football’s Money Machine
The conference that is older than the NCAA itself once envisioned itself as a paragon of academic and athletic balance. It’s now known for unbridled expansion.
www.wsj.com

Reposted by Rodney Fort, Kevin Carey, Brian Keegan , and 1 more

trevondlogan.bsky.social
Trevon Logan @trevondlogan.bsky.social · 15d
Segregation was not just a Southern phenomenon, it was a national issue. Explore the spatial history of racial segregation and discover how it connects to our communities today: greenbookproject.osu.edu #GreenBookProject #CommunityMap #EconSky

rodneyfort.bsky.social
Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 16d
I did get your point. And I enjoy your work. Just adding that it doesn’t suck to be ND when they don’t go. Other teams do not get this promise and their conference share is less than this ND allotment. Not every year is last year for ND.

rodneyfort.bsky.social
Rodney Fort 🐀 @rodneyfort.bsky.social · 16d
See here: collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2017/...

ND received its usual share plus $300K for APR. Total: $5.38 mil
“Notre Dame received a payment of $5.38 million by meeting the APR standard…”
College Football Playoff Revenue Distribution
The following is a breakdown of the CFP revenue distribution: For the 2025-26 academic year: Each conference will receive $300,000 for each of its schools
collegefootballplayoff.com

Reposted by Rodney Fort

realbachscore.bsky.social
Rachel Bachman, WSJ sports reporter @realbachscore.bsky.social · 17d
Everyone hated the BCS computers. Now, they‘re starting to look pretty good. A compelling read from @rodger.bsky.social
www.theringer.com/2021/12/03/c...
OK Computers: A Formal Apology to College Football’s Biggest Scapegoat
The BCS era was defined by college football fans getting mad at a set of computer formulas. But math was never the problem with the old system—and the sport’s new selection process has only gotten wor...
www.theringer.com