The following is based on a post made by me on December 11th, 2009 [url=http://forums.intldoomleague.org/index.php?topic=147.msg1214#msg1214]located here[/url]. Recently, mikehail and I began talking about the final franchise season and whether or not it brought parity to the league. I compiled some numbers based on the requirements I listed in this post previously and added some new numbers for W2010.<br /><br />[quote author=Fastidious link=topic=147.msg1211#msg1211 date=1260342625]Personally I feel the franchise system has been bad for the IDL and leads to more unbalanced teams than other systems would...The league needs to remain interesting and balanced, the goal should be each team hitting .500 win percentage.<br />[/quote]<br /><br />[hr]<br /><br />[center][size=5][b]The Theory[/b][/size][/center]<br /><br />If we look at evidence from all of the past seasons, and give leeway to teams to be within one win + a tie of a winning season (.500), we&#039;ll find that the new system has basically been on par with all IDL seasons before hand.<br /><br />The lower end of the pct spectrum here is 2-5-1 (.313) and the higher end at 5-2-1 (.688).<br /><br />[hr]<br /><br />[center][size=5][b]The Numbers[/b][/size][/center]<br /><br />[center][b]Winter 2010[/b]<br />[color=green]SUC - 7-1-0 (.875)[/color]<br />SPE - 5-2-1 (.688)<br />FLS - 5-3-0 (.625)<br />KGB - 3-4-1 (.438)<br />BBC - 3-4-1 (.438)<br />BSK - 2-4-2 (.375)<br />DMR - 2-5-1 (.313)<br />[color=red]EBL - 2-6-0 (.250)[/color]<br /><br />In the final season of franchising you&#039;ll find that 6/8 teams fell into the this middle ground. 75% of the league had parity while there was one elite team (13%) and one below average teams (13%). [b]This was the closest the IDL has ever come to parity in its entire existence.[/b] However, there is some commentary on this at the bottom of the post.<br /><br />[hr]<br /><br />[center][b]Summer 2009[/b]<br />[color=green]SUC - 8-0-0 (1.000)<br />BSK - 6-2-0 (.750)[/color]<br />EBL - 5-3-0 (.625)<br />KGB - 4-4-0 (.500)<br />BBC - 4-4-0 (.500)<br />DMR - 3-5-0 (.375)<br />[color=red]SPE - 1-7-0 (.125)<br />FLS - 1-7-0 (.125)[/color][/center]<br /><br />In the S2009 season, you&#039;ll find that 4/8 teams fell into the this middle ground. 50% of the league had parity while there were two elite teams (25%) and two below average teams (25%). <br /><br />[hr]<br /><br />[center][b]Winter 2009[/b]<br />[color=green]SUC - 6-0-2 (.875)<br />DMR - 5-1-2 (.750)[/color]<br />BSK - 5-2-1 (.688)<br />FLS - 5-2-1 (.688)<br />BBC - 3-4-1 (.438)<br />[color=red]KGB - 1-5-2 (.250)<br />EBL - 1-6-1 (.188)<br />SPE - 1-7-0 (.125)[/color][/center]<br /><br />The first season to implement the franchise system. You&#039;ll find that 3/8 teams fell into the middle ground. 38% of the league had parity while there were two elite teams (25%) and three below average teams (38%).<br />[hr]<br /><br />[center][b]Summer 2008[/b]<br />[color=green]WAD - 7-1-0 (.875)<br />RNB - 6-1-1 (.813)<br />CTB - 6-2-0 (.750)[/color]<br />DPT - 5-3-0 (.625)<br />TCM - 4-3-1 (.563)<br />MAD - 3-2-3 (.563)<br />FFF - 3-4-1 (.438)<br />CRK - 3-4-1 (.438)<br />CUP - 2-5-1 (.313)<br />[color=red]LON - 2-6-0 (.250)<br />HWB - 2-6-0 (.250)<br />BBS - 1-7-0 (.125)[/color][/center]<br /><br />The summer prior to, you&#039;ll find that 6/12 teams fell into the middle ground. 50% of the league had parity while there were three elite teams (25%) and three below average teams (25%).<br /><br />[hr]<br /><br />[center][b]Winter 2008[/b]<br />[color=green]PAK - 8-0-0 (1.000)<br />TBA - 6-1-1 (.813)[/color]<br />SOB - 5-2-1 (.688)<br />TXT - 5-3-0 (.625)<br />FLS - 4-3-1 (.563)<br />EFL - 4-3-1 (.563)<br />DSP - 4-4-0 (.500)<br />VGR - 3-5-0 (.375)<br />[color=red]N2O - 2-6-0 (.250)<br />TNT - 2-6-0 (.250)<br />SOM - 2-6-0 (.250)<br />MXC - 1-7-0 (.125)[/color][/center]<br /><br />In the third season, you&#039;ll find that 6/12 teams fell into the middle ground. This was the beginning of the current eight game season. 50% of the league had parity while there were two elite teams (17%) and four below average teams (33%).<br /><br />[hr]<br /><br />[center][b]Summer 2007[/b]<br />[color=green]DCL - 8-2-0 (.800)<br />TSF - 8-2-0 (.800)<br />BTK - 7-2-1 (.750)[/color]<br />PEN - 6-3-1 (.650)<br />BBM - 6-4-0 (.600)<br />CMS - 5-4-1 (.550)<br />SXP - 5-4-1 (.550)<br />KNF - 5-4-1 (.550)<br />TDS - 2-5-3 (.350)<br />[color=red]DNO - 2-7-1 (.250)<br />BSX - 1-8-1 (.150)<br />SNX - 0-10-0 (.000)[/color][/center]<br /><br />Three summers ago, you&#039;ll find that 6/12 teams fell into the middle ground. This was the longest regular season in league history, with ten regular season games. 50% of the league had parity while there were three elite teams (25%) and three below average teams (25%).<br /><br />[hr]<br /><br />[center][b]Winter 2007[/b]<br />[color=green]TDC - 5-2-0 (.714)<br />T3A - 5-2-0 (.714)<br />BSK - 5-2-0 (.714)[/color]<br />SHQ - 4-2-1 (.643)<br />SXG - 4-3-0 (.571)<br />[color=red]STP - 2-5-0 (.286)<br />SPE - 1-5-1 (.214)<br />TTT - 1-6-0 (.143)[/color][/center]<br /><br />The first season. Only seven regular season games. It was pretty bad and everything basically changed the season immediately following, but just for shits and giggles, you&#039;ll find that 2/8 teams fell into the middle ground. 25% of the league had parity while there were three elite teams (38%) and three below average teams (38%).<br /><br />[hr]<br /><br />[center][size=5][b]The [u]Original[/u] Summation[/b][/size][/center]<br /><br />Though there are some fluctuations, you&#039;ll find that generally the league tends to pan out as such:<br />[list]<br />[li][color=green]25% of the league generally tends to be at least 2 games over .500.[/color][/li]<br />[li]50% of the league generally tends to fall within a game and a half of a .500 record.[/li]<br />[li][color=red]25% of the league generally tends to be at least 2 games under .500.[/color][/li]<br />[/list]<br /><br />These statistics indicate that the statement that the current franchise system &quot;leads to more unbalanced teams than other systems would&quot; is, so far, unfounded. At least, this is the case when compared against the other two systems the IDL has utilized since its conception in 2006.<br /><br />Can the league do more to attempt to move towards every team having a .500 record? Presumably, and this is always our goal. However, realistically, there will always be teams which fall short and teams which are elite regardless of how you set up your player distribution system.<br /><br />These records don&#039;t take into account special situations such as captains or main roster members bailing on their teams, 3v2, forfeits, or other unusual events.<br /><br />However, one familiar with history can look at these records and conclude that most (read: not all) teams that fell into the lower echelon of teams in IDL&#039;s run had captains who either did not care or those which gave up after a string of losses early in the season.<br /><br />[hr]<br /><br />[center][size=5][b]The [u]Original[/u] Reality[/b][/size][/center]<br /><br />In my opinion, the IDL&#039;s best cure for balancing the league out is to be able to field the best captains possible who are willing to stick with their team, be creative, and do what it takes to create output on the field. History has shown that you don&#039;t need to be an elite player or to even have players which might be deemed the most elite on your team to be successful.<br /><br />The IDL needs strong leaders in its captains to create the most balanced league. The system in which players are drafted has shown to be secondary.<br /><br />[hr]<br /><br />[center][size=5][b]New Post-Franchise Commentary[/size][/center]<br /><br />Though the Winter 2010 season was the most balanced season in the history of the IDL, there seems to be a correlation between the best captains and how they affect the league. In my original &quot;reality&quot;, my recommendation to bring parity to the league was the find the top captains available for the league. Of course, this was basically impossible. Instead, something else happened during the Winter 2010 season...<br /><br />The two best captains that led teams throughout 2009, Humanbones and Nostar, had stepped down as captains. Though they continued to play, their absence from leading teams may or may not have leveled the playing field for the remaining captains. According to [url=http://ralphis.unidoom.org/stuff/idl/records.htm]information I&#039;ve compiled here[/url], Nostar, Humanbones, and myself have posted the best records for captains with a minimum of 16 games. With Nostar and Bones gone, that only left me for the Winter 2010 season and my team was the only one in the statistical upper echelon.<br /><br />When the two best captains of the franchise era stepped down from their teams, the league was met with overwhelming statistical parity. What this may show is that the best captains aren&#039;t needed as much as captains that all are of comparable skill.<br /><br />In a way, the statement that &quot;the league is only as good as its captains&quot; is correct. However, the league may only be as good as its captains are of similar skill.<br /><br />Does this make sense?