Role of Regression to the Mean and Loss Aversion in Brazilian Soccer Club Performance

摘要

Causal explanations are often favored to explain club performance in soccer tournaments, and the role that luck plays is usually neglected. Here, we consider three recent seasons of the first-division Brazilian soccer league to examine the relative importance to club success of loss aversion (a causal explanation) and regression to the mean (luck). We find that club performance depends on both, and quantify this finding.