Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/72218 
Year of Publication: 
2012
Series/Report no.: 
UCD Centre for Economic Research Working Paper Series No. WP12/26
Publisher: 
University College Dublin, UCD School of Economics, Dublin
Abstract: 
The paper analyses the impact of the relatively belated move to professionalism in Rugby Union. We use data on match attendance for 3,667 fixtures in European club Rugby over 15 seasons to estimate the effect of competitive balance on attendance. We find that (short- and medium-term) competitive balance has a large and statistically significant effect. However, this effect is smaller in magnitude than the effect brought about by the other aspects of the fixture with the strength of the home team being the single most important influence on attendances.
Subjects: 
Professional team sports
competitive balance
league structures
revenue sharing
salary caps
consumer demand
JEL: 
D12
D21
L22
L23
L83
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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