Level determines gang size during fights
When you fight someone, the number of gang members involved in that fight is ten times the level of the player who has the highest level. If you are on level 10 and your opponent is on level 15, you bring 150 gang members to the fight, because your opponent has a higher level, and that level gets multiplied by 10. Even if you have 2000 in your gang, only 150 are going to be used.