過去十餘年來，美國職業運動積極的國際化，大量的引進國際球員以及開拓國際市場。本文主要探討美國職業籃球聯盟(National Basketball Association, NBA)球員薪資和效率的問題。球員的薪資水準除了受到個人表現影響外，本文關注球員個人特質在薪資決定上所扮演的角色，尤其是國際球員比起美國球員是否具有薪資貼水，以及國際球員薪資的決定是否會受到母國市場規模的影響。其次，更進一步討論NBA國際球員的增加是否導因於其表現較美國球員優異，亦即檢驗國際球員的效率是否高於美國球員。本文利用2000-2008年939名球員共3747筆資料，採用兩階段固定效果模型(Two-Stage Double Fixed-Effect Model)來估計NBA球員的薪資決定因素。其次，利用資料包絡分析法(DEA)對NBA球員效率進行分析。 實證估計的結果發現：控制了球場表現、經驗、明星效果等因素後，球員個人特質確實在薪資的決定上佔有重要地位。國際球員和美國球員薪資比較上，國際球員負向顯著的低於美國球員；其次，效率分析結果顯示國際球員和美國球員表現無差異。綜合薪資與效率的分析結果，國際球員在現實和理想的考量下，在NBA似乎扮演著廉價勞工的角色。此外實證結果也發現：國際球員的薪資決定確實具有市場因素的考量，球員母國市場愈龐大，該國際球員所能帶來的效益也愈大，因此薪資也愈高，和NBA引進國際球員的商業目的相呼應。另外實證結果也證明其他個人特質，如種族、身高、選秀以及球員所屬球隊的城市市場規模等因素，在球員薪資決定上也各自扮演著重要的角色。 Over the past decade, NBA actively internationalize by substantially recruiting international players and creating overseas market. This thesis focuses on what the role personal characters play in determining players’ compensation, specifically in the cases that whether international players would enjoy higher premium than American players, and whether the market size in those international players’ countries would affect players’ compensation. Additionally, we discuss the issue of whether the increase in the international players is resulted from their superior performance compared with American players. In this way, we can examine whether international players’ efficiency is higher than American players. Based on 3747 observations selected from 939 players between 2000 and 2008, we employ Two-Stage Double Fixed-Effect Model to estimate the significant factors in determining NBA players’ compensation, further using DEA to analyze players’ efficiency. The empirical results suggest that characteristics do play a critical role in ruling their compensation. International players’ compensation is significantly lower than American players’. Additionally, the results of efficiency analysis indicate that no difference exists between international players and American players. International players seem to be cheap labors in NBA. Futhermore, market factor indeed determines international players’ compensation. This phenomenon is consistent with the commercial objectives NBA strives to achieve by recruiting international players. Besides, the results also indicate that other personal characters such as race, height, draft, and the market size of the city where the team is located play crucial roles in determining players’compensation.
