David George Surdam is an associate professor of economics at the University of Northern Iowa and the author of Wins, Losses, and Empty Seats: How Baseball Outlasted the Great Depression.

"A fascinating story about the evolution of the NBA. Surdam's command of the economic history of the formative years of the NBA is flat- out impressive. He tells a very compelling story of the role of a small group of owners who stayed with the sport and the league when it was always on the verge of financial collapse and then began to cash in when the league caught on in the 1960s, a long-shot gamble that paid off big."--James Quirk, coauthor of Hard Ball: The Abuse of Power in Pro Team Sports "If you're a fan of the NBA-and I mean a real fan of the league and its history- Surdam's book won't disappoint. Surdam tells well the story of the founders creating a league in which uncertainty and excitement were part of every contest."--EH.Net

David George Surdam is an associate professor of economics at the University of Northern Iowa and the author of Wins, Losses, and Empty Seats: How Baseball Outlasted the Great Depression.

"A fascinating story about the evolution of the NBA. Surdam's command of the economic history of the formative years of the NBA is flat- out impressive. He tells a very compelling story of the role of a small group of owners who stayed with the sport and the league when it was always on the verge of financial collapse and then began to cash in when the league caught on in the 1960s, a long-shot gamble that paid off big."--James Quirk, coauthor of Hard Ball: The Abuse of Power in Pro Team Sports "If you're a fan of the NBA-and I mean a real fan of the league and its history- Surdam's book won't disappoint. Surdam tells well the story of the founders creating a league in which uncertainty and excitement were part of every contest."--EH.Net

David George Surdam is an associate professor of economics at the University of Northern Iowa and the author of Wins, Losses, and Empty Seats: How Baseball Outlasted the Great Depression.

"A fascinating story about the evolution of the NBA. Surdam's command of the economic history of the formative years of the NBA is flat- out impressive. He tells a very compelling story of the role of a small group of owners who stayed with the sport and the league when it was always on the verge of financial collapse and then began to cash in when the league caught on in the 1960s, a long-shot gamble that paid off big."--James Quirk, coauthor of Hard Ball: The Abuse of Power in Pro Team Sports "If you're a fan of the NBA-and I mean a real fan of the league and its history- Surdam's book won't disappoint. Surdam tells well the story of the founders creating a league in which uncertainty and excitement were part of every contest."--EH.Net