Dissertation committee:
Μπάγιος Ι., Καθηγητής, ΣΕΦΑΑ, ΕΚΠΑ
Χατζηχαριστός Δ., Καθηγητής, ΣΕΦΑΑ, ΕΚΠΑ
Βαγενάς Γ., Καθηγητής, ΣΕΦΑΑ, ΕΚΠΑ
Μπεργελές Ν., Καθηγητής, ΣΕΦΑΑ, ΕΚΠΑ
Μπολάτογλου Θ., Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, ΣΕΦΑΑ, ΕΚΠΑ
Αποστολίδης Ν., Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, ΣΕΦΑΑ, ΕΚΠΑ
Νούτσος Κ., Λέκτορας, ΣΕΦΑΑ, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
In team sports within a championship, the teams “compete” but should “cooperate” too. According to Kessene (2000a), sports is a common product. Competitive balance or the least possible difference in “strength” and in homogeneity of playing ability is what is required in team sports (Neale, 1964). Competitive balance is directly related to the financial standing of the team and other factors such as fan attendance and sponsorships. Borland & McDonald (2003) advocate that competitive balance must be the “gold standard” which all the organising authorities should strive to achieve. It is commonly accepted that in sports a game between two opponents stirs interest when the difference in quality between the teams is relatively small and as such the outcome is uncertain (Quirk & Fort,1992). Haan et al. (2000) examined the effects of organisational and rule changes in European football while studies from the U.S.A (Quirk & Fort,1992;Fort & Quirk,1995;Scully, 1995) investigated the effects of organisational changes on competitive balance in professional championships. The purpose of the study is the measurement of competitive balance in basketball (N=46) and handball (N=29) championships. The study employed the indices of competitive balance: Normalized Concentration Ratio for the Champion (NCR1), Adjusted Concentration Ratio (ACRK), Normalized Concentration Ratio for Relegated Teams (NCRI ), Special Concentration Ratio ( ) (Manasis, et al. 2012) which measure competitive balance at three different levels within a competitive period (static competitive balance). The study showed that for the first and second levels, handball manifests a better statistically significant balance compared to basketball while for the third level the opposite prevails. For basketball, during the period 1986-2012 when the Men’s National team achieved outstanding successes, the indices for the second and third levels varied statistically significantly compared to the period 1965-1985. The participation of foreign players in national basketball championships had a positive effect on competitiveness at all three levels. However, similar results for handball were not confirmed. In conclusion, it seems that the two sports show differences and similarities in competitive balance. The results can be utilised for an objective and unbiased rating of championships. They can also be taken into consideration while organisational decisions are made which converge to improve competive balance. This event will not only lead to positive financial development and kindle fans’ interest but also increase the playing level of each sport.
