POWERS, Albert Theodore 1953-

PERSONAL:

Male. Born February 11, 1953, in Norfolk, NE; son of Albert Theodore and Maxine Loretta (Kohlhof) Powers; married Victoria Mae Schulte, June 8, 1974; children: Albert Theodore III, Elizabeth Victoria, Katherine Alexandra. Education: University of Denver, B.A., 1974; University of Pennsylvania, J.D., 1977; New York University, LL.M., 1979. Hobbies and other interests: Classic cars, sports, wine, music.

ADDRESSES:

Home—10-B Grenville House, 1 Magazine Gap Road, Hong Kong. Office—Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., The Hong Kong Club Building, 19th floor, 3A Chater Rd., Central, Hong Kong; fax: 852-2523-3255.

CAREER:

Writer and international tax and finance lawyer. Admitted to the Bar of Colorado, 1978, New York, 1982, and California, 1983. U.S. Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit, law clerk to Judge Robert H. McWilliams, 1977-78; Davis, Graham & Stubbs, associate attorney, 1979-81; Simpson, Thatcher & Bartlett, associate attorney, 1981-83; Heller, Ehrman, White & McAuliffe, Hong Kong, associate attorney, 1983-86, managing partner, 1986-87; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Hong Kong, associate attorney, 1987-94; Sherman & Sterling, Hong Kong, associate attorney, 1995-95; Fulbright & Jaworski LLP, senior resident partner, 1996—.

MEMBER:

Society for American Baseball Research, American Bar Association, International Bar Association, International Fiscal Association, Hong Kong Club, Shek-O Country Club, China Club, Rolls Royce Enthusiasts Club, Bentley Drivers Club, Chaine des Rotisseurs.

WRITINGS:

The Business of Baseball, McFarland (Jefferson, NC), 2003.

Contributor to professional journals and associated publications.

SIDELIGHTS:

In The Business of Baseball, writer and international finance attorney Albert Theodore Powers examines the more unsavory side of baseball history and traces early scandals, racism, and money problems forward to the sport's early twenty-first-century economic difficulties. Powers recounts the Black Sox scandal of 1919 and the damage it inflicted on the sport, as well as following the development of sports showmanship and celebrities that reversed some of that damage. The economic impact of baseball superstars from Babe Ruth to more recent players is explained, as are lost economic opportunities and fumbled chances to increase the status and exposure of the game. Powers recounts unionization issues from the 1960s and 1970s that "transformed the economic landscape of the sport for modern players," commented Paul Kaplan in Library Journal. He also looks at the negative exposure brought to the game by the well-publicized strike and owners' lockout in 1994 and 1995, and suggests solutions to the economic problems faced by major-league baseball in the early part of the twenty-first century.

Powers offers insight and analysis on major economic aspects of the game, including the effects of major-league ballparks, the impact ticket and souvenir-buying baseball fans have on the business end of the sport, and the roles of administrators and advocates such as franchise owners, commissioners, and unions. The Business of Baseball is "a serviceable history of baseball that has few surprises but speaks to the main business issues faced in each era," commented Kaplan.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, May 1, 2003, Paul Kaplan, review of The Business of Baseball, p. 124.

OTHER

San Diego Technical Books Web site,http://www.booksmatter.com/ (March 12, 2004), review of The Business of Baseball.*