Using Sport Applications to Teach an Undergraduate Microeconomics Course

The subject of microeconomics is taught at most undergraduate institutions. Typically, the material is taught at an abstract level which tends to reduce student engagement and overall understanding of the core principles. To correct this deficiency, economic instructors are constantly searching for applications which they can employ to complement the theoretical presentations of most textbooks.One such area with great promise is the application of sport to core microeconomic topics. Most students approach sport from a fan perspective and have a strong understanding of the game/contest from the on-court or on-field experience. Students studying economics/business need to be aware that sport exists as a business and, as such the core economic principles can be applied to understanding the behavior of those involved in producing and consuming the sport.To be successful and evolve beyond the classic “chalk and talk” approach most economic instructors now rely on the substantial changes in technology to supplement their teaching pedagogy. The availability of sport-related websites and comprehensive sport data collection/analysis allows classroom discussions to evolve from the standard abstract textbook presentation to one consisting of timely and real-world discussions of the microeconomic topic. When used effectively, sport-based classroom applications can improve student engagement and ultimately enhance students’ understanding of underlying theoretical material. Thus producing a win-win situation for all concerned.This paper provides an overview of the benefits and challenges encountered when creating and incorporating classroom sport applications into an undergraduate microeconomics course. It provides concrete examples of how the business of sport can be used to augment the teaching of most microeconomics concepts. Finally, the paper includes an extensive and timely business of sport reference listing which can be used by an instructor to self-select a sport-related application to meet their course specific needs.