Leifer's insights are both keen and original. He convincingly argues that what is familiar today--stable collections of major-league teams that represent cities and play each other in an equal number of games leading to a definitive championship--was by no means predestined. This system evolved through the delicate balances achieved by professionals and amateurs in each sport, and through the interplay of the big four sports themselves. This sort of malleability, he says, will need to be maintained in the coming era of sports globalization.
   --The Economist

Making the Majors is about how markets [for team sports] are made. It is a sinewy work, quite technical and packed with information, yet it is accessible and absorbing...[The book] is packed with historical detail, but the genius of the work lies in Leifer's ability to demonstrate that unique events and isolated observations derive their theoretical significance from the structures that underlie them.
   --John Wilson, Contemporary Sociology

Leifer supports his theories with statistical analyses and historical facts, making this book a worthwhile read for anyone involved in major league sport management as well as sports fans with a statistical bent. The appendixes include much pertinent data, and the endnotes are current and factual.
   --Choice

Eric Leifer has taught sociology at the University of North Carolina and at Columbia University. He is now an independent scholar and businessperson.