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Exploring soccer transfers in Spanish League-The hidden role of strategic differences among teams.

ABSTRACT: Transfers in the football world have become a hot topic in academic studies in recent years. Spanish league (La Liga) is one of the men's professional football leagues that have driven some of the most notorious transfers. In this way, we test determinants for the transfer relationships of football players in the Spanish League in the most expensive seasons with records (2018/2019 and 2019/2020 seasons). Furthermore, we identify determinants for the values of the observed transfers. The empirical analysis shows relevant findings. We recognize two implications. First, Spanish soccer transfers are not random and this evidence reflects the environment of imperfect competition characterizing La Liga. Second, the nonrandomness of the transfer process can be associated with an increasing inequality among teams and with a threat to the competitive balance in professional sports.

SUBMITTER: Reis Mourao P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11003695 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Exploring soccer transfers in Spanish League-The hidden role of strategic differences among teams.

Reis Mourao Paulo P Salgado-Barandela Jesyca J

PloS one 20240409 4

Transfers in the football world have become a hot topic in academic studies in recent years. Spanish league (La Liga) is one of the men's professional football leagues that have driven some of the most notorious transfers. In this way, we test determinants for the transfer relationships of football players in the Spanish League in the most expensive seasons with records (2018/2019 and 2019/2020 seasons). Furthermore, we identify determinants for the values of the observed transfers. The empirica ...[more]

PMID: 38593160

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Project description:BackgroundSingle-sport specialization at the exclusion of other sports has become increasingly popular in youth sporting culture. The purpose of this study was to survey Major League Soccer (MLS) athletes to examine factors influencing the timing of single-sport specialization in soccer.HypothesisThe majority of surveyed athletes will have participated in multiple sports prior to specialization and specialized primarily as a result of a coach's recommendation, with no significant impact on specialization timing stemming from birth or high school location, obtaining a collegiate scholarship, MLS experience, or position.Study designCross-sectional study.Level of evidenceLevel 4.MethodsAnonymous surveys were distributed to 3 MLS organizations and completed by MLS athletes during preseason physicals. Surveys evaluated the age and reason(s) behind an athlete's decision to specialize in soccer, birth location, geographic high school location for US-born athletes, participation in a developmental league, college scholarship, years in the MLS, and position played.ResultsApproximately 74% (64/86) of athletes returned completed surveys. Athletes reported beginning soccer at a mean age of 5.1 ± 2.1 years and specializing at age 12.6 ± 4.3 years. Athletes who participated in no other sports prior to specialization (P < 0.001), athletes reporting soccer to be their first sport played at an advanced level (P < 0.001), and athletes receiving a college scholarship (P = 0.02) specialized at a significantly younger age. Internationally born athletes specialized at significantly younger ages when compared with US-born athletes (P < 0.001).ConclusionThe majority of athletes participated in multiple sports prior to specialization and eventually specialized to focus exclusively on soccer. The timing of sport specialization in professional MLS athletes was not associated with multisport participation prior to specialization, playing soccer at an advanced level prior to other sports, receiving a college scholarship, or being born outside the United States.Clinical relevanceTiming of sport specialization is associated with multiple factors prior to athlete promotion to the MLS that warrant further investigation to better understand the impact of specialization on injury incidence, performance, and career length.

Dataset Information

Exploring soccer transfers in Spanish League-The hidden role of strategic differences among teams.

Publications

Exploring soccer transfers in Spanish League-The hidden role of strategic differences among teams.

Similar Datasets

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