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In 1974 the National Football League Rules Committee changed the way the ball was turned over after a missed field goal attempted beyond the defending team’s 20-yard line. As a result of this change, it is postulated that more accurate placekickers would become relatively more valuable to a team and receive higher earnings. The available evidence suggests that no measurable increase has occurred since the rule change in the relative earnings of more accurate long distance placekickers. Possible reasons for this result are discussed.
William T. Harris is with the Department of Economics at the University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716.