What is FIFA?

FIFA.com

The economic principle I’m exploring is: Institutions are the “rules of the game” that influence choices.

 My research question to help me study the economic principle is What makes international soccer teams successful? How does FIFA ensure that teams are treated equally?

 The articled published on the website FIFA.com and mlssoccer.com titled “History of FIFA - FIFA Takes Shape” and “What is FIFA, who is Sepp Blatter, and what's all the fuss about?” demonstrates this economic principle by showing that FIFA is used throughout the word, the organization is governed by those of diverse nations and the holding of the first international competition.

 First, the article found on mlssoccer.com addresses the central idea of FIFA and its importance to the soccer world. FIFA which directly corresponds to The Fédération Internationale de Football Association is known to be responsible for the organization and promotion major tournaments. Some of these most famous tournaments include the World Cup and Women’s World Cup. The World Cup which is held every 4 years, most recently in the summer of 2018, brings the world together to rejoice through the sport of soccer to show the unity between our nations. Since the 1930s this tradition has been put in place and will continue for ages.

 Second, FIFA.com talks about the start of the organization. This governing body was established in 1904 and the group decided that the Frenchman, Robert Guérin, was elected president and then later became one of the first founders of the organization. Other founders were gathered from varying countries throughout Europe. Some of these countries include: Denmark and Belgium.

 Third, FIFA continues to describe their role in the game. FIFA helped to regulate the rules and make sure that they are fair and equal to both teams. This rules were established before 1908 because that was when soccer was first introduced to the Olympics. This was the first “test run” of the game. This proves that from 1908-1930, the game needed much improvement. From the first Olympics to the first World Cup, much was needed to be done in order to satisfy the millions of people that watch every 4 years.

 In my next blog post I will research the question: How does FIFA get involved today?

The Player's Process- NFL

                                                                  Source: Sports Illustrated


The economic principle I’m exploring is Because of scarcity, people choose. All choices have an opportunity cost.


 My research question to help me study the economic principle is “How should NFL teams allocate scarce resources like payroll & draft picks to maximize their profitability & chances of winning?"

 The article published in Bleacher Report titled How NFL Teams Determine a Player's Value demonstrates this economic principle by showing a player's value, the process in which it happens, and the personnel it is decided by.

 First, the article begins by talking about how the NFL market works. They begin by talking about free agents, stating how every year there are a bunch of them and teams must decide who and how they are going to choose free agents. A player is graded by multiple people throughout the process and given a beginning grade by the scouts. Here is a snippet of text showing how this process works, "Purely on talent, a player may receive a red scouting grade and be a major target in free agency. But once the medical reports are added into the total picture, that player may end up with a green overall grade. This is typically where fans use their heart over their head.” I believe that a player should not only be graded by the stats he has but how well he can fit into different systems. If he cannot switch to a different system, he would not be as valuable to me as one who can as shown by the Patriot's system.

 Second, the article focuses on the personnel used in the process of grading and acquiring these players. The process starts when free agency begins, there scouts determine what type of players that they need for the upcoming season. After the scouts do this, they then hand it over to more scouts who go through more film. Then the medical staff looks at players, figuring out their injury history and what has happened to them overtime, this will also affect a player's grade. The process is stated in the article saying,"Once all of these grades are compiled and stacked, the team will bring the general manager, head coach and positional coaches together and watch the top five to 10 players the organization will target in free agency. Again, with so many different opinions, the stacking order can change greatly.”

Finally, it goes to management, where the final 5 to 10 players are watched and graded until finally they decide whether or not to give them a contract. The decision on signing a player is made by many different people and is opinion based therefore a player's grade can be changed at any time. The hardest thing to do in the NFL is drafting players because you never know if they are going to be a hit or miss. Once a team figures out how to draft good players though, they can repeat that process as the Patriots have shown ever since the great Tom Brady. 

 Third and final portion of the article talks about the process for the teams and how it all works. Every team in the league has a different strategy for this type of work and there is not one right strategy but if you do not do your job well you are in danger of losing it. The article provided some insight by saying, "The teams that find the answer have continued success. The ones that do not usually replace those staffs that got them in their current hole.”Usually, the winning teams are the ones who planned their strategy well are the ones who keep their jobs for the longest, and then there are those who do not succeed and get fired. Overall, in my opinion the most important thing in allocating resources is to make sure you have a great front office. This way you can be confident that they will be able to make good decisions when it comes to players.


 In my next blog post I will research the question: What is the most important position in the NFL?

Deal, or Scam? the fine line between them is knowledge

SOURCE: Money Talks News

The economic principle I will explore is People gain when they trade voluntarily.

The overall question I will research to help explore the economic principle is "How does lack of understanding of how a car works makes it harder for the masses to gain something when they trade for a car?"

3-4 Sub-questions that will help me answer my overall question are:

• Does the average person know what they are looking for before they go to look at cars?
• Is the average person able to tell what is a rip off, based on price?
• How does the lack of knowledge about car problems cause people to lose money when they could be gaining
• How can sites like craigslist cause loss of money for people without knowledge of how to work on cars.

3-4 resources I will use to help me answer the question

• CarGurus
• Consumer Reports
• Huffington Post

In the next post I will be looking into what you need to look for before buying a used car.

NBA GM's on Acquiring Players

Source: NBA

The economic principle I’m exploring is Because of scarcity, people choose. All choices have an opportunity cost. My research question to help me study the economic principle is how do NBA owners make decisions to acquire players? Alex Kennedy, writer for HoopsHype talks all about how teams need to consider how a player fits on a team, the timing, and having the right mix of players for the limited spots on a team in his article This is How NBA Trades Go Down. 

First, the player that is intended to be traded for must be a good fit for the team, and the player being released in the trade must be a bad fit. Some big factors that GMs look at is if a player can help team chemistry, if he’s a leader, someone who is on the rise and had solid growth, someone who adds more value to the team, and if the player just has well rounded talent.

Second, GMs have a scarcity of time. There is a trade deadline that all trades must occur before the given date. So, in order to meet this deadline, GMs must manage their time efficiently and if they don’t act early on a trade, it may not go through due to time. Anthony Davis, superstar on the New Orleans Pelicans wanted out of New Orleans. However, the GMs didn’t make a move soon enough, missing the trade deadline. Their time management was not good, so their opportunity cost of getting better players on their team did not happen.


Third, All NBA teams have limited roster spots. So, GMs must make decisions wisely to fill the roster spots effectively. If a team is short on players, they can perform a two for one or even a three for one trade. This means trading one player for more than one player. Filling the roster to 15 is huge because the basketball season is very long and usually multiple players get hurt. Teams have a scarcity of roster spots available, so in order to maximize these spots, trades are crucial. In my next blog post I will research the question: how do NBA owners make decisions to acquire players?

In my next blog, I will further talk about NBA GM's on aquiring players

Bill Belichick- Immortal or Talented?

                                                                  Source: Patriots.com

The economic principle I’m exploring is “ Because of scarcity, people choose. All choices have an opportunity cost. ”

My research question to help me study the economic principle is "How should NFL teams allocate scarce resources like payroll & draft picks to maximize their profitability & chances of winning?”

 The article published in The Guardian titled “ How shapeshifter Bill Belichick has beaten a league built for parity for 18 years” demonstrates this economic principle by showing how the most successful team plays offense, plays defense, and the genius behind it, Bill Belichick.

First, The New England Patriots, a dynasty in football and arguably the most successful franchise as of today plays offense. It begins with the players, and Bill Belichick has the most successful quarterback Tom Brady at the helm but he also relies on a running game. As stated in the article, "The other New England running backs are made to feel like they matter too: James White and Rex Burkhead both make north of $3m while fullback James Devlin is the fourth-highest earner at his position in the league. All of them play a bunch of snaps, and they’re routinely deployed together in any number of pairings – the Patriots have used two backs on 36% of downs this season, trailing only the San Francisco 49ers." shows that New England values their running backs.

Belichick has relied on them to be successful by pounding the football, wanting to average as many rush yards as possible. This strategy allows for Tom Brady then to throw quick passes and move the ball quickly. This strategy has worked since Belichick has been in the league and has stayed with it consistently.

Second, Belichick's defensive system depends on changing it. Belichick's defense is always changing based on what he believes is the best. If one system gets too popular then he chooses another, he always is changing, never wants anyone to know what he is doing. The article states, "The brilliance is in the timing. Belichick reintroduced the 3-4 defense to the league back in the early 2000s. When it got too popular (thanks to the Patriots’ success), he switched back to a 4-3, where he could unearth some cheap gems. He was also an early adopter (around 2011) of the up-tempo spread offense that’s become ubiquitous in 2018." in order to show success under both defenses, he has had to time it well. Belichick has used multiple systems, he has just been the first to figure out how to use them and how to use them to perfection.

Third, Belichick builds his team by getting bigger players. He prefers players to be heavier. As shown in the article, "According to a recent study, New England are the third-heaviest team in the league. And that’s by design. Belichick, an economics major, is constantly looking to find market inefficiencies to exploit." Belichick loves to go against the status quo and do the opposite of the system. Belichick does this by constantly creating schemes to challenge the status quo and allow for his system to benefit. Without Belichick, the patriots would not be the same and they certainly would not be as successful as they have been for so long.


 In my next blog post I will research the question: When signing a franchise player to the team, meaning signing a big hefty contract, what are the opportunity costs of this signing? What is the team losing out on?

The History of the United States in Afghanistan

Source: Newsweek 

The economic principle I’m exploring is "All choices have an oppturtunity costs." The questions that will guide me to study this principle will be The Pros and Cons of the United States fighting in Afghanistan. The article, "The History of the Afghanistan War" by the BBC, will exhibit this economic principle by explaining the events that lead the United States to enter the war with Afghanistan. 

 With the rise of terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, the United States became increasingly concerned with the growth of this group and with its leader, Osama Bin Laden. On September 11 2001, Al-Qaeda launched a terroist attack on U.S. soil that left 3,000 people dead.

When the Afghan leaders refused to release Bin Laden to U.S. officials, the United States soon used armed forces to defeat Al Qaeda and capture Bin Laden. October of 2001 began the United States' bombing of Afghanistan and several camps belonging to the Taliban and Bin Laden's allies. By November, the Northen Alliance soon gained control of the capital, Kabul, and was held by both the U.S. and the U.K. Ten years later in 2011, Bin Laden was captured and assasinated by US soldiers in Pakistan. However, with this occuring, there is still a number of people from the Taliban and Al-Qaeda that control parts of Afghanistan, which still remains as a dangerous country.

Both the United States and United Kingdom continue to struggle to rebuild the government and to fight off any terrorists that come by. Today, there is still no signs of this war ending in the future.

Based on what I have learned so far about the origins of the war, I believe that war was/was not justified because....For example,

In the next blog post, I will research the following question: What are the main impacts the U.S. has faced since entering this war?

The Influence of Music Over the General Public

SOURCE: The Pop History Dig

      The economic principle I’m exploring is “People generally respond to incentives in predictable ways”. My research question to help me study the economic principle is “What effect does music have over the general public?” The article published in The Visual Communication Guy Blog titled “Music Appeal(Advertising)” demonstrates this economic principle by showing that music attracts attention, makes people feel good, and increases product recall.


     First, catchy jingles are sometimes utilized in order to attract the attention of customers. A good example of this can be the Chili’s baby back ribs jingle, or the phone number for Luna. They’re to the beat of a happy tune that draws the viewers ear close to the screen.  In my personal experience, these have been very effective.  I can recite the Luna phone number by heart after hearing the jingle several times, which not only helps with product recall, but encourages happy feelings to be associated with the company.  At this point, I can't help but sing along when a Luna commercial pops on the screen.

     Second, advertisers choose to include upbeat and cheerful songs in their ads because they make people feel good watching them.  This technique can be helpful, because “when you use the Music Appeal, you make the music front and center of the ad, appealing to your target audience’s tastes in music and feel-good rhythms.” When people enjoy watching an advertisement, they associate good feeling with the product being advertised. This increases their likelihood of buying said product.

     Third, many advertisers use music to increase product recall because when a song is associated with a product people are more likely to remember it. This works for jingles as well. When that song or jingle is playing, people will immediately think of the advertised product.  With product recall, "the goal is to get your audience to remember it later, even if they’re not necessarily paying close attention to the product while watching or listening to the advertisements."
 
 In my next blog post I will research the question: What role does popular music play in modern day advertisements?

The Way Baseball Has Changed Over Time

Source: MLB ESPN

Economic Principle:

Institutions are the “rules of the game” that influence choices.

Main Question:

How has baseball changed over time?

Sub Questions :

How has baseball changed in each era?

How do new rules affect the fans?

How do rule changes affect the players?

Are all of the rule changes good for the game?

Main Sources:

History of Baseball

MLB News Changes in the Game

Baseball Almanac

 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site (Links to an external site.)

Links to an external site.

 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

How the NFL decides who to pay

                                                               Source: SBNation

Economic Principle: Because of scarcity, people choose. All choices have an opportunity cost.

 Overall Question: How should NFL teams allocate scarce resources like payroll & draft picks to maximize their profitability & chances of winning?

 Sub questions:

•  How does a team like New England, arguably the most successful team in the NFL allocate its resources to build a dynasty? 
•  When signing a franchise player to the team, meaning signing a big hefty contract, what are the opportunity costs of this signing? What is the team losing out on? 
•  In the NFL is it more important to owners to be profitable or to win games? 
•  What is the most important asset to have in the NFL and how much is it worth? 

 Sources: 
SB Nation Cincy Jungle
Forbes
The Football Educator

Future Research Question:

• What makes more money for a football team, Tv contracts or ticket sales and fan items?

How can we incentivize businesses and companies to use alternate energy sources?

SOURCE: STEM Humboldt

• The economic principle I will explore is: Institutions are the “rules of the game” that influence choices. 

• The overall question I will research to help explore the economic principle is: How can we incentivize businesses and companies to use alternate energy sources? 

3-4 subquestions that will help me answer my overall research question are: 

•  What are alternate sources of energy besides oil? 
•  Can other energy sources compare to the energy provided currently? 
• What is the true impact that our current energy source of coal and oil on our environment? 

Resources that can help answer the research question:

• Renewable Resources Coalition  
• Department of Energy 
• Environment and Ecology

Electric Energy More Reliable?

SOURCE: TESLA

• 3-4 sub-questions that will help me answer my overall research question are:
• How will it help the environment?
•  Will this save people money?
•  Is it more reliable than an ordinary engine?
• Is it more efficient than motors?
• Links to 3-4 reliable resources that can help answer the research question:
• Torqueedo
• Clean Tech
• Green Tech
• Electrik

Afghanistan: The Impact It Has On The United States After 18 Years

Source: History.com 

• The economic principle I will explore is: All choices have an opportunity cost.
• The overall question I will research to help explore the economic principle is: What were the positives and consequences the United States faced so far during the Afghanistan War?
• 3-4 sub-questions that will help me answer my overall research question are: 
  •  How did we get into this war?
  •  What are the main impacts the U.S. has faced since entering this war?
  •  Has the war changed how the U.S. views itself in global issues and participation?
• Links to 3-4 reliable resources that can help answer the research question:
• BBC
• Washington Post 
• The Balance 
• AJC

The Involvement of FIFA

Cincinnati Enquier

• The economic principle (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. I will explore is:  Institutions are the “rules of the game” that influence choices.

• The overall question I will research to help explore the economic principle is: What makes international soccer teams successful? How does FIFA ensure that teams are treated equally?

• 3-4 subquestions that will help me answer my overall research question are: 
•  What is FIFA?
•  How does FIFA get involved today?
• Can FIFA better the game of soccer for the future?

• Links to 3-4 reliable resources that can help answer the research question

• • 
    
  • FIFA
  • CNBC
  • Investopedia 

Is Essential Air Service Out-flying the Competition

Source: Wikipedia 

Economic Principle: Institutions are the “rules of the game” that influence choices.

Overall Question: Does the subsidized air travel program influence the way that consumers buy and other organizations sell travel to remote locations.

Sub questions:
1. What is the subsidized air travel program?
2. How does this program affect the economy of places that it serves?
3. How does competition react to this program being in place?
4. What effect does this program have on the consumers that is serves?

Resources:

1. Transportation Government
2. Enotrans
3. Federal Aviation Administration
4. GAO Report

How Snowboard Brands Attract Customers

SOURCE: Sportsman & Ski Haus

The economic principle I will explore is: People generally respond to incentives in predictable ways.

 The overall question I will research to help explore the economic principle is, How does the snowboarding industry market to their customers?

3-4 subquestions that will help me answer my overall research question are: 
What are the most profitable snowboard brands, and how did they achieve this growth?
What are the most profitable resorts, and how did they achieve this growth?
What is the most effective strategy for advertising?

Links to 3-4 reliable resources that can help answer the research question: 

• Inc Magazine 
• Forbes
• Aecom

Psychology Advertisement

Source: Martech.zone article

The economic principle (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. I will explore is (copy/paste bold from the link): People generally respond to incentives in predictable ways.

 The overall question I will research to help explore the economic principle is (the question should contain 1-2 keywords from the economic principle): How do companies use psychology to incentives people to buy their products?

 3-4 sub-questions that will help me answer my overall research question are:

•  What is psychology advertisement?
•  How does advertising influence what people buy?
•  What are the psychological tactics that advertise workers use to persuade people?
•  What are the types of uses that advertisers use to manipulate the consumers to buy products other than editing and coupon sales?

 Links to 3-4 reliable resources that can help answer the research question:

• Nickkolenda.com
• Psychcentral.com 
• Exploringyourmind.com 
• Apa.org

Music's Effect on Advertising

SOURCE: Trend Hunter

•  Economic Principle: People generally respond to incentives in predictable ways.
•  General Question: How is music used in advertisements to offer incentives to people?
•  Sub-questions: 

1. What effect does music have over the general public? 
2.  What role does popular music play in modern day advertisements? 
3.  What incentives do music advertisements offer? 
4.  What role does product placement hold in music lyrics?

• Resources:

1. Visual Communications Guy
2. Pop Music
3. Science of Sound
4. Volumes

Place Holder