Did the regulations enhance competitive balance? - The case of University Basketball Association in Taiwan

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to examine if the regulations held by University Basketball Association (UBA) in Taiwan enhanced the competitive balance andcompare the competitive balance between Division 1 male and female teams that advanced to final 8. The statistical methods of standard deviation of winning percentages, Hirfindahl–Hirschman index, and Gini coefficients of winning percentages were applied to compare the competitive balance during the period from 2000 to 2009. The results showed that: (1) The competition was slightly balanced after 2005 as the regulations was executed but the championship still been dominated by relatively few teams over last decade. (2) There was greater competitive balance among the male teams than female. In conclusion, the regulations did enhance the competitive balance to some extent. Furthermore, this research provided some propositions to reduce the competitive imbalance situation of UBA based on the regulations of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Key words: Competitive balance, University Basketball Association, National Collegiate Athletic Association.