dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaWhat is the most competitive sport?
| Authors | E. Ben-Naim, F. Vazquez, S. Redner |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0512143 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0512143 |
| Journal | J. Korean Phys. Soc. 50, 124 (2007) |
Abstract
We present an extensive statistical analysis of the results of all sports competitions in five major sports leagues in England and the United States. We characterize the parity among teams by the variance in the winning fraction from season-end standings data and quantify the predictability of games by the frequency of upsets from game results data. We introduce a mathematical model in which the underdog team wins with a fixed upset probability. This model quantitatively relates the parity among teams with the predictability of the games, and it can be used to estimate the upset frequency from standings data. We propose the likelihood of upsets as a measure of competitiveness.
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"abstract": "We present an extensive statistical analysis of the results of all sports\ncompetitions in five major sports leagues in England and the United States. We\ncharacterize the parity among teams by the variance in the winning fraction\nfrom season-end standings data and quantify the predictability of games by the\nfrequency of upsets from game results data. We introduce a mathematical model\nin which the underdog team wins with a fixed upset probability. This model\nquantitatively relates the parity among teams with the predictability of the\ngames, and it can be used to estimate the upset frequency from standings data.\nWe propose the likelihood of upsets as a measure of competitiveness.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0512143",
"authors": [
"E. Ben-Naim",
"F. Vazquez",
"S. Redner"
],
"categories": [
"physics.data-an",
"cond-mat.stat-mech",
"physics.soc-ph"
],
"journal_ref": "J. Korean Phys. Soc. 50, 124 (2007)",
"title": "What is the most competitive sport?",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0512143"
},
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