By John Considine
Last week the four so-called weaker football counties in Munster complained about the seeding of Cork and Kerry for next year’s Munster football championship. On Saturday the Irish Examiner reported that players from these counties were considering going on strike (here). However, when we look at the range of competitions that promote and hinder competitive balance it is clear that the players from Clare, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford are probably fighting an uphill battle.
The seeding of Cork and Kerry raises some interesting issues. It is possible that the teams were seeded for financial reasons. However, it is also possible that the two counties were seeded to reward past performances. This is a regular feature of sport competitions. Players are seeded for major tennis tournaments like Wimbledon. Athletes with faster times in previous rounds get the better running and swimming lanes. The leading players in a golf tournament get to go out later on Saturday and Sunday. Drivers in F1 are rewarded for better qualifying times with better grid positions. US sport teams are given post-season home court or home field advantage for good regular season performances. In the UEFA Champions League the domestic leagues are rewarded for good performances in previous seasons. The Irish soccer team are in danger of being penalised for their performances in their World Cup group with a lower ranking for future tournaments.
Some sports promote balance with the redistribution of financial resources or with mechanisms like a reverse order draft pick. There is also a tradition of open draws in some of the oldest competitions in the world, e.g. the FA Cup. Then there is the deliberate penalising of horses from previous performances through the handicap system.
The seeding system can be far from perfect. It is pretty straight forward in Munster football. It is not so obvious in Munster hurling. All five participants could make a case for being seeded. Newly crowned All-Ireland champions might not be seeded in Munster based on recent Munster championship performances. The Clare manager would not be impressed!
Those interested in the range of issues involved are directed to an excellent 2002 paper in the Journal of Sports Economics written by Allen Sanderson. The paper title is The Many Dimensions of Competitive Balance.
Some sports promote balance with the redistribution of financial resources or with mechanisms like a reverse order draft pick. There is also a tradition of open draws in some of the oldest competitions in the world, e.g. the FA Cup. Then there is the deliberate penalising of horses from previous performances through the handicap system.
The seeding system can be far from perfect. It is pretty straight forward in Munster football. It is not so obvious in Munster hurling. All five participants could make a case for being seeded. Newly crowned All-Ireland champions might not be seeded in Munster based on recent Munster championship performances. The Clare manager would not be impressed!
Those interested in the range of issues involved are directed to an excellent 2002 paper in the Journal of Sports Economics written by Allen Sanderson. The paper title is The Many Dimensions of Competitive Balance.
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