Competitive Balance als Rechtfertigung von Wettbewerbsbeschränkungen im Sport

The more balanced the sports competition, the more exciting for the audience - what is discussed in sports economics under the keyword "competitive balance" is also increasingly used in antitrust law as a justification for competitive restraints by sports associations. This paper investigates the underlying principles of sports economics and finds that the relationship between competitive balance and spectator interest is not as unambiguous as sometimes suggested. However, the author argues that under certain conditions competitive balance can be considered as a legitimate objective under the Meca-Medina test and can justify statutes by sports associations that restrain competition under European antitrust law.