Nov 19, 2025

Dr. Benjamin Posmanick, assistant professor of Finance, along with co-authors Dr. Ryan Pinheiro from the University of Akron, and two recent Bonaventure graduates, Sean Fay, β24, β25, and Dylan Ameis, β24, β25, published βIncome Taxes and Firm Competitiveness: A Case Study from the National Football Leagueβ in the International Journal of Financial Studies.
The paper shows that increases in the income tax rate in a teamβs home state cause a decrease in team quality, particularly after the passage of the salary cap, a binding budget constraint on pay for NFL teams. The study also shows that teams in high-tax states were more likely to be above average before the salary cap. However, after the salary cap, teams from high-tax states are less likely to be above average. The paper is available in open-access format here: .