Economists on Football

Is there anything economists can't do? Well, besides, you know, the thing we all want them to do, which is tell us what the economy is going to do next. But I've enjoyed the profession's foray into everything from human behavior to political elections. Here's an interesting paper, linked to from the Sports Economist, on an alternative way for the NFL to do overtime, given that the current method - coin flip determines possession - offers an overwhelming advantage to the winner of the coin flip. Indeed, the "I cut the cake in half and you pick which half you want" is one of those great parenting tricks that apparently has broader application than settling that timeless dispute over splitting desserts. Maybe the NFL will cotton to it, too.