摘要 : There is an inverted u-shaped relationship between age and wages in mostlabor markets, but the effects of age on productivity are often unclear. We usepanel data in a market of high earners, professional footballers (soccer player... 展开 There is an inverted u-shaped relationship between age and wages in mostlabor markets, but the effects of age on productivity are often unclear. We usepanel data in a market of high earners, professional footballers (soccer players)in North America, to estimate age-productivity and age-wage profiles. We findstark differences; wages increase for several years after productivity haspeaked, before dropping sharply at the end of a career. This poses the question:why are middle-aged workers seemingly overpaid? We investigate arange of possible mechanisms that could be responsible, only finding evidencethat tentatively supports a talent discovery theory. 收起