An empirical study of revenue generation and competitive balance relationship in European football

Distribution of income has been an important area of research in both economics and sports economics literature. However, the sports economics literature regarding European football lacks empirical studies associated with the relationship between revenue generation and competitive balance. This study analyzes the revenue sharing structure in Europe's top 5 football leagues along with its effects on competitive balance. Trends in the distribution of revenue are illustrated with the help of Lorenz curves and the coefficient of variations of revenue shares. There is significant evidence that there have been severe distortions in the distribution of revenue in European football, and it has been influential in the competition. The revenue shares of the top 5 leagues' have changed substantially over the last two decades which led to the utter dominance of European football by few clubs. The increasing inequality, in revenue generation and sharing, has affected the competitive balance adversely. The rising financial domination of the giants in European football is widening the gap between them and the lower profile teams hence decreasing the uncertainty of games, which might have adverse effects on the demand for football.