This paper defines a conservation principle governing the behaviour of sport systems. It states that no sport system can sustainably extract more from its participation base than it returns. The principle describes the relationship between extraction, return, and long-term system stability. It applies across all sport systems regardless of governance structure, competition format, or commercial model. The paper outlines the implications of imbalance, including delayed instability, participation decline, and eventual system failure. Growth is not a function of expansion or investment. It is a function of return.
Michael E. Fealey (Fri,) studied this question.