Abstract
This chapter analyzes whether players’ educational background affect their salary, performance, and second career using Japanese professional baseball player. First, the results obtained from an estimation of a Mincer-type annual salary function showed that the coefficients of educational background and school record are significant and positive, even when other factors were controlled. Second, the results of our probit or OLS (ordinary least squares) show that players who graduate or drop out of the university have higher probability of success as player than high school graduates after controlling for their ability. Last, it is found that players who graduate or drop out of the university tend to be coaches of professional baseball team after retiring.
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
Nomo played in amateur baseball for 2 years after graduating from high school, and joined a professional baseball team. He participated in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games as an amateur baseball player, where Japan won a silver medal. Nomo won the Rookie of the Year award and recorded the most strikeouts (twice) in the US Major Leagues.
- 2.
Matsui won the World Series MVP in 2009
- 3.
Tanaka finished the 2013 season with an undefeated record. The 24 wins are the most wins in 2013, and the most wins with no loss is the first in the Japanese professional baseball history. In addition, he won the titles for best ERA and the first win rate.
- 4.
We use “graduate” regardless of whether the player won a bachelor degree or he dropped out university because of lack of the information in many cases.
- 5.
The lowest annual salary guaranteed to first-team players is 15 million Yen, while farm players get 4.4 million Yen. While first-team annual salaries rise according to performance, even if farm players do well they are unlikely to be paid over 10 million Yen. The exception is the case of players who were picked in earlier rounds of a draft. They sometimes earn 15 million Yen in the first year at the farm but if they are unable to make the first team within a few years, their annual salaries will drop. When farm players are promoted to the first team in the middle of a season, their first-team annual salary is pro-rated by the day.
- 6.
Universities belonging to each group are as follows: (1) The University of Tokyo, Waseda University, Keio University, Meiji University, Hosei University, and Rikkyo University; (2) Toyo University, Aoyama Gakuin University, Asia University, Chuo University, Komazawa University, Nihon University, Kokugakuin University, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Kokushikan University, Rissho University, Takushoku University, Senshu University, Taisho University, Gakushuin University, Juntendo University, Sophia University, Seikei University, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo City University, and Tokyo Institute of Technology; (3) Tokai University, Teikyo University, Nippon Sport Science University, Daito Bunka University, University of Tsukuba, Meisei University, Josai University, Ashikaga Institute of Technology, University of Creation—Art, Music & Social Work (Sozo Gakuen University), Tokyo Keizai University, Dokkyo University, Musashi University, Meiji Gakuin University, J. F. Oberlin University, Tamagawa University, and Seijo University; (4) Kobe Gakuin University, Ryukoku University, Kyoto Sangyo University, Osaka Gakuin University, Osaka University of Economics, and Osaka University of Commerce; (5) Kansai University, Kwansei Gakuin University, Kyoto University, Kinki University, Doshisha University, and Ritsumeikan University.
- 7.
We did a simple F-test to examine the difference of coefficients on university dummy and university league dummies using all sample. We estimate (1), (2), (5), and (6) adding dummy of year2013, year2013*univ dummy (for (1), (5)) or dummy of year 2013, year2013*university league1, …, year2013*university league6 (for (2), (6)) For pitcher case, the F-value of the former is 0.50 ( p-value 0.606), the latter is 0.96 ( p-value 0.457). For the nonpitcher case, the F-value of the former is 0.41( p-value 0.662), the latter is 0.23 ( p-value 0.977). We could not reject the null hypothesis that there is no difference of coefficients on education dummies between 2008 and 2013.
- 8.
However, the possibility exists that a sample selection problem might have occurred because the data are limited to players who played on the first team.
References
Fort, R. (1992). A pay and performance: Is the field of dreams barren? In P. Sommers (Ed.), Diamonds are forever: The business of base-ball (pp. 134–162). Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution.
Izumi, N. (2008). Draft kai shimei nara pro e ikuna! [Don’t enter professional baseball if drafted in lower rounds (in Japanese)]. Tokyo: Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha.
Higuchi, Y. (Ed.). (1993). Pro yakyu no keizaigaku [Economics of Professional Baseball (in Japanese)]. Tokyo: Nippon Hyoron Sha (in Japanese).
Mincer, J. (1974). Schooling, experience and earnings. New York: Columbia University Press.
OECD. (2011). Education at a glance 2011: Japan—country.
OECD. (2013). Education at a glance 2013: Japan—country.
Olbrecht, A. (2007). The economic return to college attendance for major league baseball players. Applied Economics Letters, 14(13), 981–985.
Olbrecht, A., & Bloom, S. (2009). What are the monetary effects of education in the market for major league baseball players? Journal of Business & Economics Research, 7(5), 63–70.
Tachibanaki, T., & Saito, T. (2012). Sports no sekai wa gakureki shakai [The world of sports is a school record society (in Japanese)]. Tokyo: PHP Shinsho.
Winfree, J., & Molitor, C. (2007). The value of college. Drafted high school baseball players. Journal of Sports Economics, 8(4), 378–393.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Saito, T. (2015). Does Educational Background Affect Performance and Second Careers of Athletes? Empirical Analysis of Japanese Professional Baseball Players. In: Lee, Y., Fort, R. (eds) The Sports Business in The Pacific Rim. Sports Economics, Management and Policy, vol 10. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10037-1_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10037-1_14
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-10036-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-10037-1
eBook Packages: Business and EconomicsEconomics and Finance (R0)