"Analyzing North American major sports leagues other than baseball, we find no break points in competitive balance time series corresponding to rule changes, the draft, free agency, salary caps, or labor disputes except for the 1998 basketball lockout. Some expansion and team relocation...

No detectable break points in within-season competitive balance (1901--99) occur after 1937 in the National League or after 1962 in the American League, despite expansion, free agency, and the growth of local TV revenue disparity since then. Instead, a continual improvement in competitive...