TY - JOUR
T1 - Strategic Offsetting Behavior in the NBA
T2 - An Analysis of the Effects of the Mikan Rule
AU - Salter, Alexander W.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2014, © The Author(s) 2014.
PY - 2017/2/1
Y1 - 2017/2/1
N2 - This brief article estimates the effects of a rule change from the early days of professional basketball. The Mikan rule was intended to curb the offensive potency of tall players whose primary contribution to team output consisted of points scored close to the basket. The Mikan rule limited players’ ability to stand close to the basket, and hence made it more difficult for these players to score. However, the rule change did not account for strategic offsetting behavior—that defensive players’ optimal allocation of resources would change in response to the rule. I engage the literature on strategic offsetting behavior and estimate a two-way fixed effects model that strongly suggests the Mikan rule did not have its intended effect due to strategic offsetting behavior.
AB - This brief article estimates the effects of a rule change from the early days of professional basketball. The Mikan rule was intended to curb the offensive potency of tall players whose primary contribution to team output consisted of points scored close to the basket. The Mikan rule limited players’ ability to stand close to the basket, and hence made it more difficult for these players to score. However, the rule change did not account for strategic offsetting behavior—that defensive players’ optimal allocation of resources would change in response to the rule. I engage the literature on strategic offsetting behavior and estimate a two-way fixed effects model that strongly suggests the Mikan rule did not have its intended effect due to strategic offsetting behavior.
KW - Mikan rule
KW - basketball
KW - economics of sports
KW - strategic offsetting behavior
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85009486560&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/1527002514560578
DO - 10.1177/1527002514560578
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85009486560
SN - 1527-0025
VL - 18
SP - 126
EP - 139
JO - Journal of Sports Economics
JF - Journal of Sports Economics
IS - 2
ER -