Sports Leagues Research Articles

Improving the aggregation and evaluation of NBA mock drafts

Abstract If professional teams can accurately predict the order of their league’s draft, they would have a competitive advantage when using or trading their draft picks. Many experts and enthusiasts publish forecasts of the order players are drafted into professional sports leagues, known as mock drafts. Using a novel dataset of mock drafts for the National Basketball Association (NBA), we explore mock drafts’ ability to forecast the actual draft. We analyze authors’ mock draft accuracy over time and ask how we can reasonably aggregate information from multiple authors. For both tasks, mock drafts are usually analyzed as ranked lists, and in this paper, we propose ways to improve on these methods. We propose that rank-biased distance is the appropriate error metric for measuring accuracy of mock drafts as ranked lists. To best combine information from multiple mock drafts into a single consensus mock draft, we also propose a combination method based on the ideas of ranked-choice voting. We show that this method provides improved forecasts over the standard Borda count combination method used for most similar analyses in sports, and that either combination method provides a more accurate forecast across seasons than any single author.

The Bradley-Terry Model in Binary Outcome Driven Rankings: An Application in Amateur Hockey

Ranking systems serve critical roles in sport settings, most notably in determining playoff participants and seeding. Many ranking methodologies exist that are flexible enough to incorporate many input measures and produce models that are highly predictive of game outcomes. However, there are circumstances—especially for amateur sport leagues—in which more complex inputs are either unavailable or not desirable, as they may lead to adverse performance incentives. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to highlight a ranking methodology that only considers binary game outcomes, i.e., wins and losses. Specifically, we consider the efficacy of the Bradley-Terry Model to efficiently rank sport teams for playoff consideration. We apply this method as a case study to the New England Prep School Ice Hockey Association (NEPSIHA), and compare the accuracy of their current ranking system to the Bradley-Terry model using simulation methods. We show that Bradley-Terry significantly outperforms NEPSIHA’s current method, especially when teams face unbalanced strengths of schedule. This result holds under various league competitive balance distributions.

Measuring Competitive Balance in South Korea Professional Sports League

Measuring Competitive Balance in South Korea Professional Sports League

Analysis of the Advantages and Disadvantages of Commercializing Sports Leagues Based on NBA Alliance

Through the analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of commercialization in the NBA league, the conclusion drawn in this article is that the increase in the degree of commercialization ion of the league has a significant impact on the league's visibility, commercial value, economic income, and overall competitive level. It can also drive the development of the entire sports industry and the formation of a country's sports culture. In the process of commercialization, corresponding problems also arise. From the perspective of fairness, certain matches in the league may be affected by commercial interests in the terms of the fairness of referee calls and penalties. Sometimes, concessions may be made for the sake of the viewing and smoothness of the game, which can damage the interests of one team and violate the spirit of fairness and justice in sports. In addition, gray industries such as gambling and soccer are constantly emerging, which have a great impact and harm on society and are difficult to completely avoid. After decades of development, the NBA has successfully captured the development dividends of the media and Internet era, completed its own brand building, and pushed the NBA to the world. The NBA continuously improves its internal rules, introduces a series of policies, works closely with sponsors in various fields, and make it the world's number one professional basketball league. In order for China's professional basketball league to develop and grow on the path of professionalization and commercialization, in addition to learning and drawing on the NBA business model, it is also necessary to combine its own basic national conditions and basketball development status, formulate basketball league and culture with Chinese characteristics.

Revenue Sharing in Professional Sports Leagues

Revenue Sharing in Professional Sports Leagues

How to Conclude a Suspended Sports League?

Problem definition: Professional sports leagues may be suspended because of various reasons, such as the recent coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. A critical question that the league must address when reopening is how to appropriately select a subset of the remaining games to conclude the season in a shortened time frame. Despite the rich literature on scheduling an entire season starting from a blank slate, concluding an existing season is quite different. Our approach attempts to achieve team rankings similar to those that would have resulted had the season been played out in full. Methodology/results: We propose a data-driven model that exploits predictive and prescriptive analytics to produce a schedule for the remainder of the season composed of a subset of originally scheduled games. Our model introduces novel rankings-based objectives within a stochastic optimization model, whose parameters are first estimated using a predictive model. We introduce a deterministic equivalent reformulation along with a tailored Frank–Wolfe algorithm to efficiently solve our problem as well as a robust counterpart based on min-max regret. We present simulation-based numerical experiments from previous National Basketball Association seasons 2004–2019, and we show that our models are computationally efficient, outperform a greedy benchmark that approximates a nonrankings-based scheduling policy, and produce interpretable results. Managerial implications: Our data-driven decision-making framework may be used to produce a shortened season with 25%–50% fewer games while still producing an end-of-season ranking similar to that of the full season, had it been played. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.0558 .

Equal-sharing extra revenues from broadcasting sports leagues

Equal-sharing extra revenues from broadcasting sports leagues

Fan and fantasy: investigating the impact of fantasy sports on sports fan identity

ABSTRACT Research question This study investigates the impact of fantasy sport on online sport fan identities. It explores the socio-psychological outcomes experienced by sport fans participating in fantasy sport and investigates their collaborative value co-creation practices. Research methods We use netnography to collect user comments across relevant subreddits. We further employ content analysis to identify the socio-psychological outcomes experienced by sport fans participating in fantasy sport and to gain insights into value co-creation practices within the fantasy sport community. Findings This study presents three significant findings. Firstly, it delineates BIRGing as celebration and trash talk and CORFing as disappointment, contemplation, and avoidance. Secondly, it introduces two new socio-psychological outcomes – FAGing and FARDing – encapsulating the dual identity of sport fans participating in fantasy sport. Third, it identifies three unique co-creation practices observed in fantasy sport communities – favoritism and subgrouping; sharing, supporting, and strategizing; and bragging. Implications This study contributes to our understanding of the impact of fantasy sport on the fan­ – team dynamic and the emergence of distinctive co-creation practices among evolved fans. From a practical perspective, the research has implications for sport managers and fantasy sport platforms, as fantasy sport serves as a powerful tool for engaging audiences of professional sport leagues.

Revisiting the novelty effect from new stadiums: An event study approach

AbstractThis analysis examines the impact of new stadiums on consumer demand for sports spectatorship in the four major US‐based professional sports leagues. Estimates from difference‐in‐differences event studies identify a transitory attendance shock from new venues that diminishes to pre‐stadium‐treatment levels within a decade. The updated estimates confirm the existence of the novelty effect in modern facilities and identify subtle differences in magnitude, certainty, and duration across leagues. Revenue estimates indicate that the substantial financial returns from constructing new stadiums likely incentivize the premature replacement of host venues when combined with typical public subsidy levels.

Competitive balance in professional sports: A multi-dimensional perspective

What constitutes competitive balance is a contentious issue in professional sports. We contribute to this debate with a simple framework encapsulating multiple viewpoints of competitive balance and highlight how this framework suggests that there could be an inherent tradeoff along two common dimensions. Using the framework as a lens for comparing North American professional sports leagues, we then demonstrate how important changes over time in the collective bargaining process have influenced the competitive balance of these leagues in different ways. Finally, we discuss and provide descriptive evidence for the influence of differences in non-gate revenue growth across leagues and how it might have affected their competitive balance in recent years. (JEL L83, D63, C23).

The EA Sports League on Instagram: from visual importance to audience rankings

En el presente estudio se indaga sobre la visibilidad que los clubes españoles de la Liga EA Sports tienen en Instagram. A partir de técnicas principalmente cuantitativas se persiguen objetivos relacionados con la presencia de dichos clubes en la mencionada red social, así como el establecimiento de un ranking, tiempo de “vida” de estas cuentas, número de publicaciones y análisis de contenido en forma de fotografías y reels. Los resultados y conclusiones indican que el Real Madrid, FC Barcelona y Atlético de Madrid encabezan el ranking de seguidores. Además, no existe un lapso temporal en el que esta red social tuviera un mayor impacto al momento de crear sus cuentas mientras que la ratio de publicaciones es dispar. Al analizar los contenidos de los 5 clubes con más seguidores, la mayoría de publicaciones fotográficas se centra en las imágenes de jugadores y los reels en vídeos de fragmentos de partidos.

Preliminary effects of a rural skin cancer prevention intervention for youths.

To pilot and assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of the Rural Adult and Youth Sun (RAYS) protection program, a multilevel skin cancer preventive intervention for young children living in rural U.S. communities, delivered through community-organized team sports. Three rural counties in Utah participated with two receiving the intervention and the third serving as a control. Youth sports leagues were recruited through recreation departments and the study took place from May through October 2021. Intervention leagues received sun protection supplies for players and coaches, educational materials for parents, and coaches were offered training on skin cancer and sun protection behaviors. The RAYS program is both feasible to deliver and acceptable to coaches, parents, and players. The intervention also demonstrates beneficial preliminary effects on components of observed child sun-protective behaviors, coach sun protection behaviors, knowledge of skin cancer prevention recommendations, and self-efficacy in skin cancer prevention. Multilevel interventions for skin cancer prevention among young children can be successfully delivered through community organizations and their settings. A priority moving forward is the identification of ways to optimize delivery of such programs to positively influence skin cancer preventive behaviors among children living in diverse rural areas. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Research on the influence of audience perception quality on the intention to watch again in sports leagues

The CBA League is a vital component of the Chinese sports industry exerting an immeasurable driving force on the development of a high-quality sports industry. This study investigates the audience's intention to watch live again aiming to direct the event's attention to the audience's real experiences and promote the event's healthy development. In this study, a quantitative approach was employed using a questionnaire survey with the consumer group of CBA events as the survey subjects. A total of 521 valid questionnaires were collected through on-site surveys. Data analysis in this study revealed that audience-perceived quality has a positive impact on the intention to watch again and also positively influences audience trust. On the other hand, audience trust positively influences their intention to watch again. The audience experience serves as a moderating factor. Audience-perceived quality not only has a direct impact on the intention to watch again but can also indirectly increase the intention to watch again by enhancing audience trust. The audience trust serves as a partial mediator. Additionally, audience experience acts as a moderator in the process where audience-perceived quality positively influences the intention to watch again strengthening its effect. The success of a basketball league does not solely depend on the team's performance and the audience's experiences are equally crucial. We can provide more scientifically effective suggestions for the sustainable development of sports leagues through a profound understanding of audience psychology.

Quantifying the Performance of Professional Athletes Following Traumatic Tibial Fractures.

A tibial fracture is an uncommon, yet severe injury that occurs in professional athletes within all major sports leagues. These injuries are often debilitating for professional athletes and can require extensive rehabilitation prior to returning to play. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of a tibial fracture on athletic performance in all four major United States sports leagues. A publicly available professional sports database, Pro Sports Transactions, was queried for tibial injuries from January 01, 2015, to May 31, 2023. The search included all four major U.S. sports leagues. To quantify and compare athletic ability before and after injury, performance-based statistics were collected from standardized player ratings in periods surrounding the date of injury. The percent change in player performance was measured and stratified. The Pearson correlation test was used to analyze player demographics. There were a total of 24 professional athletes who suffered 28 confirmed tibial fractures across all leagues. Upon return, there was a 14.7% decrease in overall player performance across all leagues. National Basketball Association, National Football League, and National Hockey League athletes had a decrease of 34.5%, 29.1%, and 14.2%, respectively, following their return to play. Major League Baseball players demonstrated an 8.1% increase in player performance following their recovery from tibial fracture. Players who suffer tibial fractures often undergo immediate surgery and, in unfortunate cases, may require multiple subsequent procedures. Additionally, athletes spend several months recovering prior to their return. Upon return, athletes' performance may be decreased; however, further study is required to strengthen the association between player performance and tibial fracture recovery.

Training Background and Demographic Characteristics of Primary Care Team Physicians in Professional Sports.

Previous studies have shown that most professional head and orthopaedic team physicians are men, and most orthopaedic team physicians are fellowship-trained. It is unknown whether this holds true for primary care team physicians. To evaluate the residency and fellowship training background as well as the demographic characteristics of primary care team physicians in professional sports. Cross-sectional study. Publicly available information was used to determine the lead and supporting primary care team physicians for every US-based team in Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, National Basketball Association, National Football League, National Hockey League, National Women's Soccer League, and Women's National Basketball Association. Data regarding training background and sex were obtained using internet-based sources. We identified 310 primary care team physicians from all 165 US-based teams in the 7 leagues included in the study. Female physicians comprised 11.5% (19/165) of the lead primary care team physicians and 14.2% (44/310) of all primary care team physicians. Overall, 66.7% (110/165) of lead primary care team physicians and 75.5% (234/310) of all primary care team physicians were sports medicine fellowship-trained. There was a higher proportion of female (37.5%) and fellowship-trained (93.8%) physicians in women's professional sports leagues. Most primary care team physicians (244/310 [78.7%]) were trained in family medicine or internal medicine. Women constituted a small minority of primary care team physicians in professional sports. Most primary care team physicians were residency trained in family medicine or internal medicine and were sports medicine fellowship-trained. The proportion of female and fellowship-trained primary care team physicians was highest in the National Women's Soccer League and the Women's National Basketball Association.

Normative Pluralism and Sporting Integrity

ABSTRACT Official documents, such as the Word Anti-Doping Code (WADC), argue that sport can be deemed a homogenous and unitary concept. Even where different sports have varying characteristics, the homogenous view of a given sport (‘a sport’ or ‘the sport’) persists. The WADC, international and national sport associations aim to protect the spirit of (the) sport. In this picture, the intersection of sporting integrity and legal processes occupies a vital place. The article will posit that, from a legal perspective sport is heterogeneous due to its governance, regulation, adjudication, and enforcement structures. International and national associations, such as sport federations and leagues, have separate normative orders. These normative orders lead to differences in ensuring sporting integrity. A plural normative environment is inherent in sport; thus, we need to deal with it. The article will conclude that although harmonising norms and interpretations related to sporting integrity through national and global institutions may be acceptable, these must be achieved by promoting good governance and human rights.

Graduate prospects explain undergraduate program standing in university league sports science tables.

UK university undergraduate programs are compared by independent subject-specific rankings (Complete, Guardian, and Times), based on data from the National Student Survey, Higher Education Statistics Agency, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, Research Excellence Framework, and the universities. The sports and exercise science program at the University of Glasgow has steadily risen to currently rank as the top UK program. This investigation aimed to identify the underlying factors that explain this. Therefore, we obtained underlying scores for entry standard, student satisfaction, research foundation, graduate prospects, staff-to-student ratio, expenditure/student, continuation, program support to students, and teaching quality from the ranking providers for years 2010-2024, and statistically modeled which factors significantly affected the rankings. We found that entry standards and graduate prospects strongly correlated significantly with ranking results. Principal component analysis indicated that a model of graduate prospects and entry standards explained 66.2% of the variance in ranking results. Multiple linear regression with all underlying factors included in the model indicated they explained 78% (R2 = 0.78) of the total variance, while stepwise elimination of insignificant factors identified graduate prospects as the sole factor that significantly affected outcome by explaining 71% (R2 = 0.71) of the variance. Therefore, the primary predictor of ranking success in UK university league tables for sports science is graduates' professional success (graduate prospects).NEW & NOTEWORTHY University rankings are used by applicants and stakeholders to judge programs, including undergraduate studies. In the rankings, undergraduate UK programs are compared and contrasted against each other based on how they score for criteria that affect student life and future prospects. Here, we determined the relative influence of those criteria and found that graduate prospects, how students professionally benefit from their study after graduation, is the factor that matters most for the ranking results.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CIVIL LIABILITY STANDARD OF MOTORSPORT SPORTS LEAGUES IN BRAZIL

Civil liability is a way of resolving patrimonial and extra-patrimonial compensation arising from an unlawful act, represented by an action or omission that causes harm to another, even if the damage is exclusively moral. The research sought to answer the problem found, namely: what is the responsibility of motorsport sports leagues in Brazil for accidents caused during races? Thus, the research had the general objective of defining the responsibility of motorsport sports leagues in Brazil for accidents caused during races. And specifically, analyze the general rules of civil liability provided for in the civil code; verify the agent's civil liability; examine the athlete's term of self-responsibility in motorsport sports leagues. The research modality chosen for the development of the theme is normative-legal empirical research, verifying the norms of the Brazilian Automobile Confederation with norms in force in the legal system, in a qualitative approach of the exploratory type in primary research sources (laws, norms, decrees) and secondary (books, articles, monographs, dissertations and theses). The research presents the application of the general rules of civil liability provided for in the civil code due to the lack of specific regulation by automobile confederations; and the feasibility of the sportsman's responsibility in relation to the civil liability of motorsport sports leagues. In conclusion to the research, it was demonstrated that it is necessary to provide for a normative closure in the statute to guarantee legal security within a sporting space, since it is a place where risk is imminent and is part of the activity, which can cause losses and damages.

No novelty effect but a honeymoon that lasts: On the attendance effects of new football stadiums

In US-based studies focusing on the impact of new sports stadiums on attendance, a recurring observation is the temporary nature of the initial positive effect, commonly described as a novelty or honeymoon effect. This paper revisits the attendance effects of new sports stadiums in a European sports league, i.e. the top tier of Dutch professional football. Analyzing data over a period of three decades the main conclusion is that for many new stadiums the positive attendance effect persists. There is no transient novelty effect but a long-lasting positive attendance effect of new football stadiums.

Sports League Profit and Market Sizes

Abstract: It is often assumed that sports leagues should have teams in the largest markets. However, a very basic model of a sports league shows that, depending on talent investment's role in team revenue, this assumption is not necessarily true. Heterogeneity in markets sizes can not only decrease costs but also increase expected league revenue. Having a smaller market leads to more wins for the larger market team and less competition for playing talent. Therefore, leagues may prefer smaller markets for expansion teams or team relocation. Given that leagues typically want larger markets, the paper investigates how the basic model of a sports league may be lacking. If leagues want competitive balance or more absolute talent, it may cause leagues to pursue larger markets.