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Structural Change in Competitive Balance in Big-Time College Football

Author

Listed:
  • Steven Salaga

    (Texas A&M University)

  • Rodney Fort

    (University of Michigan)

Abstract

Competitive balance is an important element of fan preferences in sports industries. We analyze the time series behavior of competitive balance measures over the entire histories of each of the current US. “Power 5” football conferences. Competitive balance has been remarkably stable. All series are stationary by unit root tests. None of the very few structural break points that we do find coincide with economy-wide shocks (wars and the Great Depression) or with any particular college-football-wide policy alteration. This has important implications for sports researchers and for policy in the “big-time” college football industry.

Suggested Citation

  • Steven Salaga & Rodney Fort, 2017. "Structural Change in Competitive Balance in Big-Time College Football," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 50(1), pages 27-41, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:revind:v:50:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s11151-016-9526-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s11151-016-9526-z
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Rodney Fort, 2018. "Modeling Competitive Imbalance and Self-Regulation in College Sports," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 52(2), pages 231-251, March.
    2. Brian Mills & Jason Winfree, 2018. "Athlete Pay and Competitive Balance in College Athletics," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 52(2), pages 211-229, March.
    3. E. Woodrow Eckard, 2019. "Does the NCAA’s Collegiate Model Promote Competitive Balance? Power-5 Conference Football Versus the NFL," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 20(5), pages 654-670, June.
    4. Lee, Travis, 2020. "Competitive Balance in the National Hockey League after Unrestricted Free Agency and the Salary Cap," MPRA Paper 108400, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Brad R. Humphreys & Scott Schuh & Corey J.M. Williams, "undated". "Learning by Doing, Productivity, and Growth: New Evidence on the Link between Micro and Macro Data," Working Papers 24-02, Department of Economics, West Virginia University.

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