There are many sports-related books about what happens on the playing field, but few are written about the equally interesting stories of what happens on the business side.

Why acquire a professional sports team? What goes into the branding, marketing and entertainment that make some teams successful, and others not? What are the challenges that managers and staff face? Are there valuable lessons from the major and minor leagues for university, high school and other amateur sports programs? How do sports teams generate a profit?

While the examples are drawn from the business of baseball, the lessons are applicable to other sports and many retail businesses.