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Searching for On-Field Parity

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  • Bulent Uyar
  • David Surdam

Abstract

The authors analyze whether the scheduling changes the National Football League (NFL) made at the time to promote parity had the desired impact on the 1995-1998 and the 2003-2006 seasons compared to the 1991-1994 and the 1999-2002 seasons. Using the relative standard deviation (RSD), the authors find that the scheduling changes did not significantly influence parity. However, this result does not imply that scheduling changes do not affect competitive balance or have no benefits. Competitive balance can manifest itself in different ways and, therefore, it is imperative to look at multiple indicators before declaring policy and rule changes a failure or a success.

Suggested Citation

  • Bulent Uyar & David Surdam, 2013. "Searching for On-Field Parity," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 14(5), pages 479-497, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jospec:v:14:y:2013:i:5:p:479-497
    DOI: 10.1177/1527002512438901
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Thomas J. Murray, 2018. "Examining the Relationship Between Scheduling and the Outcomes of Regular Season Games in the National Football League," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 19(5), pages 696-724, June.
    2. Rodney Fort & Young H. Lee, 2020. "Transition to an unbalanced Sports League schedule: adding the analysis of outcome uncertainty," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(51), pages 5629-5638, November.

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