Understanding the Circle of Parity in LaLiga

The ‘Circle of Parity,’ a concept that translates to ‘Círculo de Paridad’ or ‘Círculo de Igualdad,’ is predominantly used in the NFL and is less recognized in European sports. With the arrival of premier American football competition in Spain, specifically at the Santiago Bernabéu, it is an opportune moment to introduce an idea that emphasizes competitiveness and equality within a championship. LaLiga proudly asserts its superiority over the other four major European leagues, as it is the only league to have successfully completed this cycle at this early stage of the season.

What does this entail? The ‘Circle of Parity’ within a competition refers to a chain where one team defeats another, leading to a sequence that connects all teams in a closed cycle through direct victories. The methodology from graph theory is utilized to quantify the true parity of a competition.

This season, LaLiga’s ‘Circle of Parity’ stands out on two key levels. Firstly, it was achieved after the eleventh matchday, a milestone reached earlier than at any point in the past decade. The closest precedents were in the twelfth matchday of the 2015-16 season and in the thirteenth matchday of the 2018-19 and 2023-24 seasons. Secondly, LaLiga is the only one among the five major leagues to have accomplished this feat. To achieve this ‘Circle of Parity,’ two fundamental conditions must be met: every team must have won at least one match and lost another. In both Serie A and the Premier League, the first condition is not satisfied—Hellas Verona, Fiorentina, and Wolverhampton have yet to secure a win—while in the Bundesliga, the second condition is unmet, as Bayern Munich has not lost a match.

However, these are not the sole conditions. In Ligue 1, while all participants have won and lost matches, the necessary connections to complete the circle are absent, indicating a lack of ‘bridges’ of victories. This could potentially change in the upcoming thirteenth matchday. The only league that might match LaLiga in terms of timing is the Bundesliga, which has only completed ten matchdays. The other leagues have either reached or surpassed the eleven matchdays required for LaLiga to close the circle.

LaLiga attributes its early completion of the ‘Circle of Parity’ to several key factors. Firstly, a more equitable audiovisual distribution has resulted in a disparity of only 3.5 times between the highest and lowest earners, compared to the previous tenfold difference before the implementation of Royal Decree 5/2015. Additionally, economic control and the enhancement of youth academies have contributed to a higher average quality of the teams’ rosters, which LaLiga cites as primary reasons for achieving the ‘circle’ ahead of other top leagues.