Penalties for dangerous tackles in the Australian NRL competition. Rugby League 'judiciary' decisions reviewed from the Chicago School perspective on the economics of crime and punishment

Rugby league is a major football code within the Australian and New Zealand domestic markets for spectator sport. Current controversies include concern about the way the sport's judiciary body reaches decisions regarding penalties for dangerous play. The argument presented in this paper is that inconsistent and inappropriate judiciary decisions are presently being imposed because of shortcomings in articulating the principles upon which such decisions should be based. It is argued that improved results in terms of both efficiency and fairness could be achieved if administrators consciously injected an understanding of the economics of crime and punishment as an underpinning for their judiciary processes.