Walter C. Neale 50 Years After: Beyond Competitive Balance, the League Standing Effect Tested With French Football Data

Citation

Andreff W & Scelles N (2015) Walter C. Neale 50 Years After: Beyond Competitive Balance, the League Standing Effect Tested With French Football Data. Journal of Sports Economics, 16 (8), pp. 819-834. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527002514556621

Abstract
In 1964, Neale suggested, in addition to competitive balance, a league standing effect that was never tested per se with empirical data. A model that explains fan attendance in the French football Ligue 1 over 2008-2011 is presented. It takes on-board point difference with the closest competitor chasing a different sporting stake, and positive and negative changes regarding the different sporting stakes. Econometric testing exhibits a negative impact of point difference (i.e., a positive impact of the possibilities of changes), a positive impact of positive changes, and no significant impact of negative changes.

Keywords
Neale; competitive balance; league standing effect; sporting stakes; French football

Journal
Journal of Sports Economics: Volume 16, Issue 8