Michael A. Roach received his Ph.D. in Economics from Northwestern University in 2011 and his M.A. in Economics from Northwestern University in 2007. He received his B.A. in Economics from Rhodes College in 2004. He joined the faculty at Middle Tennessee State University in 2011.  

   Much of Dr. Roach’s research has focused on applying empirical microeconomic techniques to a variety of sports settings. This work has centered on turnover in the labor market for head coaches and decision-makers’ attitudes toward risk in sports settings. This work has been published in such outlets as the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Economic Inquiry, the Journal of Sports Economics, and the Journal of Sport Management. Because of his work in this area, he has been featured in The Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, ESPN.com and on National Public Radio, as well as locally on WMOT. He has also published in the area of law and economics with a particular emphasis on the labor market for criminal defense attorneys.  

During his time at MTSU, Dr. Roach has taught microeconomics courses at the undergraduate, M.A., and Ph.D. levels, as well as more specialized courses in industrial organization and sports economics. He has actively mentored graduate students in the department’s Ph.D. program, chairing eight dissertation committees and serving on many others. He has served as the editor of the Journal for Economic Educators since 2019, chaired his department’s Scholarship Committee since 2019, and chaired the Jones College of Business Faculty Development Committee during the 2020-2021 academic year. He has also served as a member of both the university’s Graduate Council and Faculty Research and Creative Activity Committee.

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• Roach, Michael A. (2022). Surprise Information in Major League Baseball: How Teams and Betting Markets Respond. Applied Economics 54(4), 1—17.
• Roach, Michael A. (2021). Career Concerns and Personnel Investment in the Major League Baseball Player Draft. Economic Inquiry 60(1), 413—426.
• Roach, Michael A. (2018). Testing Market Efficiency Across Position Groups in the NFL. Journal of Sports Economics 19 (8), 1093—1121.
• Roach, Michael A. (2018). The Effect of Sunday Closing Laws on Drinking and Driving: Evidence from Colorado. Journal of Applied Economics and Policy, 33 (1), 6—32.
• Owens, Mark F.; and Roach, Michael A. (2018). Decision-Making on the Hot Seat and the Short List: Evidence from College Football Fourth Down Decisions. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 148, 301—314.
• Roach, Michael A. (2017). Does Raising Indigent Defender Pay Rates Improve Defendant Outcomes? Evidence from New York. Applied Economics Letters, 24 (14), 1025—1030.
• Roach, Michael A. (2016). Does Prior NFL Head Coaching Experience Improve Team Performance? Journal of Sport Management, 30 (3), 298-311.
• Horvath, Joshua; Fowler, Stuart; and Roach, Michael A. (2014). The Impact of Tort Reform on Queries to the National Practitioner Data Bank. Southern Business and Economic Journal, 37 (1), 57-82.
• Roach, Michael A. (2014). Is the Highway Patrol Really Tougher on Out-of-State Drivers? An Empirical Analysis. The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy. 15 (2) 769-796.
• Roach, Michael A. (2014). Indigent Defense Counsel, Attorney Quality, and Defendant Outcomes. American Law and Economics Review, 16 (2), 577-619.
• Roach, M. A. (2013). Mean-Reversion or a Breath of Fresh Air? The Effect of NFL Coaching Changes on Team Performance in the Salary Cap Era. Applied Economics Letters, 20 (17), 1553-1556.

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