Parity and Predictability of Competitions

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dc.creatorBen-Naim, E.
dc.creatorVazquez, F.
dc.creatorRedner, S.
dc.date2006-08-01
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T07:25:40Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T07:25:40Z
dc.descriptionWe 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 novel 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.
dc.description6 pages, 5 figures
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0608007
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0608007
dc.identifierJ. Quant. Anal. Sports Vol. 2: No. 4, Article 1 (2006).
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/116798
dc.subjectPhysics and Society
dc.subjectStatistical Mechanics
dc.titleParity and Predictability of Competitions
dc.typetext

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