Abstract:
Most sports are interesting because the outcome of a game cannot be predicted perfectly in advance. Indeed, sometimes sports organizations try to maximize the uncertainty associated with the outcomes of the games by restricting the behaviour of teams and players so as to maximize public interest. The degree of competitiveness in a league is also known as competitive balance. In this paper we propose a simple model analyze the outcome of soccer matches. The parameters of this model are used to assess whether comeptitive balance in Dutch soccer has decreased or increased over time.