Athletic conference
Encyclopedia
An athletic conference is a collection of sports teams, playing competitively against each other at the professional, collegiate
, or high school
level. In many cases conferences are subdivided into smaller and smaller division
s, with the best teams competing at successively higher levels. Conferences often, but not always, include teams from a common geographic region.
and Canada
, the National Hockey League
(NHL) and National Basketball Association
(NBA) are divided into the western (NHL
, NBA
) and eastern (NHL
, NBA
) conferences, with three divisions within each conference. In both leagues, the winners of the three divisions in each conference automatically advance to the playoffs, with the 5 next best teams in each conference also going to the playoffs. In the NHL each of the three division winner is guaranteed one of the top three seed
s (or ranks to determine who has home advantage and the matchups for each round of the playoffs, where the top ranked teams play lower ranked teams) in the NBA the top four seeds go to the three division winners and the next best team, based on record.
The National Football League
has an American Football Conference
(AFC) and a National Football Conference
(NFC). Both conferences have 16 teams, and each conference is divided into 4 divisions of 4 teams each. Each of the 4 division winners is guaranteed one of the top 4 seeds in the playoffs.
Major League Baseball
is divided into the American League with 14 teams and the National League with 16 teams. Each league also has 3 divisions each, and each division winner is also guaranteed one of the top three seeds, even if their record is lower than the league's wildcard team.
In all four sports, the champion of one conference plays the champion of the other conference for the final round championship, this is guaranteed to occur because the rules for the playoffs require play to be exclusively wihtin the conference/league in all rounds before the final round, leaving only two teams for the finals (one from each conference/league) and the records of teams outside a conference/league are ignored, which can allow teams with inferior records to make the playoffs while teams in the other conference with better records do not get in. An extreme example of this occurred in the NFL in 2010 in regards to the Seattle Seahawks
. Also, in each sport, teams play predominately within their own conference during the regular season, but play some games outside their conference (or league in baseball
).
In college sports, individual leagues are usually called "conferences". In the organization of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
, the largest organizing body in American collegiate sports, the conferences are independent associations of schools. Somewhat confusingly, the term "Division" can refer to both the level of play, and to smaller subdivisions of the conferences. Thus, in college football, the Southeastern Conference
is part of NCAA Division I, but is itself also subdivided into an east and west division.
is one level below the The Football League
. The second tier of which is divided into Conference North
and Conference South
. Although, this does not meet the above definition as Conference National is the fifth tier of the English football pyramid whilst Conferences North and South are the sixth.
is Super Rugby. From the 2011 season, Super Rugby will work on a conference system. The competition will have one conference based in each country. The winner of each conference will receive a play-off spot, as will the three next best teams overall.
where teams do not represent geographical entities, a conference is a tournament within a season
.
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
, or high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
level. In many cases conferences are subdivided into smaller and smaller division
Division (sport)
In sports, a division is a group of teams who compete against each other for a championship.-League system:In sports using a league system , a division consists a group of teams who play a sport at a similar competitive level...
s, with the best teams competing at successively higher levels. Conferences often, but not always, include teams from a common geographic region.
United States
In the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) and National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA) are divided into the western (NHL
Western Conference (NHL)
The Western Conference is one of two conferences in the National Hockey League used to divide teams. Its counterpart is the Eastern Conference....
, NBA
Western Conference (NBA)
Below is a list of current Western Conference NBA team rosters.-Western Conference:There are a total of 15 teams in the Western Conference. The current leading team of the Western conference are the Dallas Mavericks....
) and eastern (NHL
Eastern Conference (NHL)
The Eastern Conference is one of two conferences in the National Hockey League used to divide teams. Its counterpart is the Western Conference....
, NBA
Eastern Conference (NBA)
The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...
) conferences, with three divisions within each conference. In both leagues, the winners of the three divisions in each conference automatically advance to the playoffs, with the 5 next best teams in each conference also going to the playoffs. In the NHL each of the three division winner is guaranteed one of the top three seed
Seed (sports)
A seed is a preliminary ranking that can be used in arranging a sports tournament. It is called a seed because of the analogy with plants where the seed might grow into a top rank at the end of that tournament, or might instead wither away...
s (or ranks to determine who has home advantage and the matchups for each round of the playoffs, where the top ranked teams play lower ranked teams) in the NBA the top four seeds go to the three division winners and the next best team, based on record.
The National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
has an American Football Conference
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
(AFC) and a National Football Conference
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
(NFC). Both conferences have 16 teams, and each conference is divided into 4 divisions of 4 teams each. Each of the 4 division winners is guaranteed one of the top 4 seeds in the playoffs.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
is divided into the American League with 14 teams and the National League with 16 teams. Each league also has 3 divisions each, and each division winner is also guaranteed one of the top three seeds, even if their record is lower than the league's wildcard team.
In all four sports, the champion of one conference plays the champion of the other conference for the final round championship, this is guaranteed to occur because the rules for the playoffs require play to be exclusively wihtin the conference/league in all rounds before the final round, leaving only two teams for the finals (one from each conference/league) and the records of teams outside a conference/league are ignored, which can allow teams with inferior records to make the playoffs while teams in the other conference with better records do not get in. An extreme example of this occurred in the NFL in 2010 in regards to the Seattle Seahawks
2010 Seattle Seahawks season
The 2010 Seattle Seahawks season was the 35th season for the team in the National Football League. Jim Mora was fired on January 8, 2010, leading the Seahawks to come to an agreement with Pete Carroll, instating him as head coach the following day. This marks the 9th season that the Seahawks will...
. Also, in each sport, teams play predominately within their own conference during the regular season, but play some games outside their conference (or league in baseball
Interleague play
Interleague play is the term used to describe regular season Major League Baseball games played between teams in different leagues, introduced in . Before the 1997 season, teams in the American League and National League did not meet during the regular season...
).
In college sports, individual leagues are usually called "conferences". In the organization of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
, the largest organizing body in American collegiate sports, the conferences are independent associations of schools. Somewhat confusingly, the term "Division" can refer to both the level of play, and to smaller subdivisions of the conferences. Thus, in college football, the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
is part of NCAA Division I, but is itself also subdivided into an east and west division.
England and Wales
In English Association football, Conference NationalConference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
is one level below the The Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
. The second tier of which is divided into Conference North
Conference North
The Conference North also known as Blue Square Bet North for sponsorship reasons, is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference South it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of...
and Conference South
Conference South
Conference South is one of the second divisions of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National...
. Although, this does not meet the above definition as Conference National is the fifth tier of the English football pyramid whilst Conferences North and South are the sixth.
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa
In Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, the highest level of provincial rugby unionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
is Super Rugby. From the 2011 season, Super Rugby will work on a conference system. The competition will have one conference based in each country. The winner of each conference will receive a play-off spot, as will the three next best teams overall.
Philippines
In the Philippine Basketball AssociationPhilippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...
where teams do not represent geographical entities, a conference is a tournament within a season
Season (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...
.
See also
- Sports leagueSports leagueLeague is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...
- Regulation of sportRegulation of sportThe regulation of sport is usually done by a regulatory agency for each sport, resulting in a core of relatively invariant, agreed rules. People responsible for leisure activities often seek recognition and respectability as sports by joining sports federations such as the International Olympic...
- Outline of sports#General sports concepts
- List of college athletic conferences — in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...