![]() They reported an increase in in-season competitive balance in all six conferences however, an increase in between-season competitive balance was found in only half the conferences. Finally, Dittmore and Crow (9) evaluated the impact of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) on competitive balance involving the BCS’s six founding conferences. Depkin and Wilson (7) also examined the impact of NCAA sanctions on rules-breaking institutions with an assumption that a reduction in cheating would result in an increase in competitive balance. Using multiple measures, findings indicated a decrease in competitive balance over time. An analysis of the impact of NCAA regulations conducted by Depkin and Wilson (6) went even further, examining more than 100 years of data. Their study found conclusive results in regard to whether scholarship limits indeed enhanced competitive balance. Sutter and Winkler (29) analyzed competitive balance in college football since the end of World War II, focusing on the effect of scholarship limits. Results indicated reduced competitive balance at both the national and conference levels. ![]() Arguing that the NCAA operates as a cartel, Eckard (11) compared competitive balance in college football before and after NCAA enforcement began in 1952. Research on Competitive Balance in College FootballĬollege football has been a common focus for analyses of competitive balance. The uncertainty of demand hypothesis states that fan interest (e.g., ticket sales, television viewership) is higher for games between more equally matched opponents than for games featuring mismatches. Economic considerations are also often a major factor in realignment decisions (8, 17, 30, 32).Ĭlosely associated with the economic consideration is the need to increase competitive balance as it is related to revenue maximization because of its relationship to consumer demand (8, 9, 14, 24, 25). There are also ethical dimensions to competitive balance in college sports, as providing a level playing field for member institutions is one of the goals of athletic conferences (25, 28). The reasons for these changes in conference membership, often referred to as member churning, are myriad, ranging from political squabbles (13, 32) to opportunities to better position themselves for championship competition (20). ![]() Since the early 1990s numerous NCAA Division I athletic programs have changed their conference affiliation. Keywords: college athletics, conference realignment, economic inequality Using the standard deviation as our measure of competitive balance it was discovered that competition among the football programs were not as competitively balanced as before the initial realignment began. Specifically, the effects on competitive balance in football in the Big 12 Conference, which lost four members and replaced with two additional schools, were examined. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects on competitive balance when a conference lost member institutions who chose to join other conferences, and then added new institutions to replace those which had departed. Institutional Affiliation of Authors: Wichita State UniversityĬonference realignment among athletic programs that compete at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has been prevalent among various institutions over the past decade, particularly among institutions that sponsor football.
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