Date of Graduation
5-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Economics
Advisor/Mentor
Dr. Logan Miller
Committee Member
Dr. Taylor Weichman
Second Committee Member
Raquel Romero Velasquez
Third Committee Member
Dr. Spencer Allen
Abstract
With the creation of WAR (Wins above Replacement), it has created an index to measure the player’s value using a variety of statistics relevant to that player’s position. The higher a player’s career WAR then the greater the impact that player had on the game during his career. However, players are not simply inducted into the Hall of Fame on this measure of value but on voting from members of the BBWAA (Baseball Writers’ Association of America). This research investigates external factors outside of standard playing statistics’ influence on Hall of Fame voting, including team affiliation, career length, and other characteristics affecting vote totals and induction likelihood. We determine if a player played for a certain team, the length of his career, total number of teams or various other characteristics can have an influence on the number of votes received along with whether they are inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Keywords
sports economics, economics, baseball, media, bias
Citation
Wollscheid, J. (2026). Do I have to know someone? The impact of factors beyond the playing field that affect MLB Hall of Fame Voting.. Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/econuht/79
