I'm sorry, but I don't believe this study to be true in this day and age at all.
Umpires' calls may reflect race, ethnicity
AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggests Major League Baseball umpires are more likely to call strikes in favor of pitchers who share their race or ethnicity.
However, the University of Texas at Austin-led researchers found such behavior diminishes when scrutiny of umpires' calls increases -- for example at ballparks with electronic monitoring systems, when there are 3 balls or 2 strikes, or at well-attended games.
The research was conducted by UT Professor Daniel Hamermesh, Assistant Professor Christopher Parsons of McGill University and colleagues at Auburn University.
They analyzed every pitch from three major league seasons between 2004 and 2006 and found if a pitcher shares the home plate umpire's race or ethnicity, more strikes are called and he improves his team's chance of winning.
Discrimination affects both the outcome of a game and the labor market, which determines the pitcher's market value and compensation, said Hamermesh.
"From an economics perspective, the results are troubling because if workers are discriminated against when their performance is evaluated, then the ability to detect discrimination in other areas is reduced," he said.
AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggests Major League Baseball umpires are more likely to call strikes in favor of pitchers who share their race or ethnicity.
However, the University of Texas at Austin-led researchers found such behavior diminishes when scrutiny of umpires' calls increases -- for example at ballparks with electronic monitoring systems, when there are 3 balls or 2 strikes, or at well-attended games.
The research was conducted by UT Professor Daniel Hamermesh, Assistant Professor Christopher Parsons of McGill University and colleagues at Auburn University.
They analyzed every pitch from three major league seasons between 2004 and 2006 and found if a pitcher shares the home plate umpire's race or ethnicity, more strikes are called and he improves his team's chance of winning.
Discrimination affects both the outcome of a game and the labor market, which determines the pitcher's market value and compensation, said Hamermesh.
"From an economics perspective, the results are troubling because if workers are discriminated against when their performance is evaluated, then the ability to detect discrimination in other areas is reduced," he said.