The businesses behind Dubai Sports City, the branding of David Beckham, and the presence and popularity of fantasy sports leagues on the internet are unmistakable indicators that the sports and the entertainment industries are quickly becoming one and the same. But, you needn't travel far or be a hard core sports fan to appreciate this fact. Whether you play Madden NFL on the Wii, use Nike+ along with your iPod to monitor your workouts, or channel surf and take note of the number of athlete-driven commercials, evidence of this transformation is ubiquitous in today's sports viewing and consuming experience.

In recent years, the rapid convergence of sports and entertainment has been key to the sports business industry's continued growth and financial success. Money Games not only analyzes how industry stakeholders have monetized this convergence, but also provides readers with answers to this core question: how can the sports business continue to profit from the blurring of sports and entertainment? Author David M. Carter considers a wide array of implications for television content, video gaming, athlete branding, the Internet, mobile technology, gambling, sports-anchored real estate development, venue technology, and corporate marketing—in short, those areas where business opportunities exist now that sports and entertainment have become one.

Money Games is a must-read for professionals and future leaders of the sports and entertainment industries, and sports fans will also find an intriguing story about the evolution of the games that they cherish and follow.

David M. Carter is the Executive Director of the University of Southern California's Sports Business Institute and is a Professor of Sports Business at USC's Marshall School of Business. He is the Principal of the Sports Business Group, which has been a premier provider of strategic marketing and business development services to the sports industry for more than a decade. In this capacity, Carter has consulted for corporations, sports organizations, sports and entertainment venues, law firms, municipalities, and individual athletes. Carter is the author of On the Ball: What You Can Learn About Business From America's Sports Leaders (2003), Keeping $core: An Inside Look At Sports Marketing (1996), and You Can't Play The Game If You Don't Know The Rules (1994).

"Money Games details what all of us in the sports industry have been witnessing over the last several years: as sports and entertainment continue to converge, substantial business opportunities result. Money Games serves as an invaluable resource for stakeholders hoping to monetize sports as entertainment." —Kenneth L. Shropshire, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and author of Negotiate Like the Pros and The Business of Sports Agents --- "As the sports and entertainment industries converge, the opportunities to consume sports at home, on the go, and at venues multiply exponentially—and the roster of stakeholders who aim to profit from this development expands. Even with the potential for billion dollar bottom lines and brands with global renown, monetizing this corporate decathlon is no easy win. The strategies and tactics that all the players will want—from the boardroom to the locker room—can be found in Money Games." —John Nendick, Ernst & Young Global Media & Entertainment Industry Leader --- "Fans, sports and media executives, and even investors will find that Carter's examination, exploration, and explanation of the changing landscape of sports and entertainment helps them understand their own experiences. From mobile technology and video games to athlete branding and corporate meetings, he interprets everyday events—at home, away from home, and at-venue." —Stephen A. Greyser, Harvard Business School --- As Major League Baseball has achieved record business performance in recent years, the line that separates sports from entertainment continues to diminish. Money Games examines the current business climate in the sports industry and identifies the challenges facing the various sports leagues in delivering fans what they want while keeping up with the different ways in which fans consume the games."—Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Baseball Commissioner --- "Money Games presents a compelling perspective on the evolution of sports business and provides an excellent roadmap to maximizing the benefits and minimizing the pitfalls that arise at the intersection of sports and entertainment."—David Stern, NBA Commissioner