61: A Survey of Competitive Balance of Sports Leagues

Music City Center 

Competitive balance is essential for sports leagues to maintain fan engagement and financial success. We investigate competitive balance across several professional leagues in soccer, basketball, football, and ice hockey using a metric based on the Bradley-Terry model. Men's soccer leagues in Europe and North America from 2004-present were analyzed, finding second divisions consistently more balanced than first. MLS proved more comparable to European second tiers in parity. Among major U.S. leagues since 2005, the NBA and NFL showed far lower balance than MLB, NHL and MLS. Incorporating playoff structures led to the NBA's lower balance being amplified while the NFL became more balanced. The metric also revealed higher parity in soccer versus basketball worldwide. Results suggest financial inequality, league format, playoff systems, and sports' inherent dynamics substantially impact balance. While limited by its narrow time frame and focus on standings over scheduling, the analysis provides valuable comparative insights and contributes towards the goal of the optimal viewing experience for fans.

Competitive balance

Bradley-Terry model

Professional sports 

Section on Statistics in Sports