> Sport leagues exist, in part, to insure profitability of their member franchises. ![]() Sustained competition among equitable teams is not the sole purpose of athletic conferences, however. And Rhoads (18) has observed that “(i)t is reasonable that conferences should be quite active in ensuring optimal levels of competitive balance” (p. In 2011, Staurowsky and Abney (20) stated conferences “establish rules and regulations that support and sustain a level playing field for member institutions, while creating in-season and postseason competitive opportunities” (p. This project is the first to combine both considerations, allowing for a more comprehensive assessment of churning outcomes.Ĭollege conferences are comprised of college and universities that have established an association, one of the purposes of which is regular athletic competition (1). Other studies have examined the effects of churning on competitive balance (see, for example, 13-15, 18) or the relationship between realignment and program revenue (8). This can provide considerable financial rewards for the conference.Ĭompetitive success at the national level and the financial well-being of conference members are inextricably linked because the number of teams a conference places in the NCAA national championship tournament and the number of victories those teams accrue determine the NCAA’s payout to participating conferences. Conversely, a conference may be highly unbalanced, but the few teams who win consistently in-conference, may also enjoy considerable success at the national level. A conference may be well balanced competitively but have negligible success at the national level. The study is important because it assesses the impact of churning on two key but unrelated dimensions. The purpose of this study was to assess how churning within Conference USA over a 10-year period has affected the conference’s men’s basketball programs in regard to success at the national level and competitive balance within the conference. Competitive success at the national level and in-conference competitive balance are among the desired outcomes commonly impacted. These changes-commonly referred to as churning as members come and go-impact conferences in many ways. Likewise, while people want their teams to win, fans like the games to be exciting and not a foregone conclusion as to the winner (5, 9, 12, 17, and 18).Īlmost all major college athletic conferences have experienced changes in their membership within the last six years. Indeed, “everyone loves a winner,” and is willing to attend games featuring successful teams more often and pay more to attend. Although there are numerous ways this can be achieved, two important ways include (1) an attempt to accumulate a group of conference teams that are successful nationally against teams from rival conferences, and (2) an effort to insure teams are somewhat evenly matched within the conference-what is referred to as competitive balance.īoth winning against non-conference opponents and competitive balance are important as they tend to enhance the financial status of conference members. While amateur athletic conferences serve many functions for the individual member institutions, one important purpose is to attempt to enhance the financial status of their members. **Key Words:** college athletics, competitive balance, conference realignment, basketball, conference USA Results of the study indicate decreases in both the competitive success of the men’s basketball programs at the national level and the in-conference competitive balance between the 2000-2001 through 2004-2005 and the 2005-2006 through 2009-1010 time periods. Both national success and competitive balance within the conference can significantly impact the financial well-being of the conference. The purpose of this paper is to assess how the churning of various institutions (i.e., changes in conference membership as institutions leave or are added) within Conference USA over a 10-year period affected the conference’s men’s basketball programs in regard to success at the national level and competitive balance within the conference. Many conferences have undergone realignment in recent years, and the effects of those changes may impact the degree to which conferences realize those desired outcomes. ![]() ![]() VermillionĬollegiate athletic conferences serve multiple functions, including providing regular opportunities for members to compete in a relatively equitable environment and contributing to the financial well being of member institutions.
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