It goes without saying that sports have long been an entertainment cornerstone. They have captivated people since athletic contests began getting held, and interest in them only grew when athleticism got blended with a strategy to create a drama mix like no other. The unpredictability of competition outcomes is why people like to watch sports so much. Underdogs can triumph against the odds, and favorites can stunningly falter. That element of not knowing what will happen next is what keeps fans on the edge of their seat. It also is the thing that has made sports betting into a billion-dollar industry.
So, sports offer a high level of unpredictability. But some supply this more than others. For example, in football (or soccer), results can be unpredictable primarily because of the low-scoring nature of the sport and the fact that one team can have ten chances and net no goal while the other can have a one-to-one success rate. Naturally, a lower-level team continuously triumphing against a higher level of competition is not probable. Though, in one game, they get betting winning odds than what is available for underdogs in other competition types. MMA (mixed martial arts) is similar in that there are many ways to win/lose. Hence, it is more likely that a lower-tiered fighter can get lucky. Get the W.
That said, in this article, we give you five sports we think are far easier for gamblers to predict how they will end if they are wise enough to do their research beforehand, lean on statistical analysis, and recent performances. Now, while the thrill of uncertainty will always be a draw for sports fans, for gamblers, predictability is desirable, as it generates better-winning chances.
Boxing
Here is the truth about boxing. The number of super high-level boxers is not high, and it is not until some get deep into their career that there is enough valuable data to determine a boxer’s actual worth. Boxers’ records traditionally get padded so fighters can get built up until a big-money fight comes along, and only then do fans get insight into the true quality of a pugilist.
For example, heavyweight Kevin Johnson was 22–0–1 when he faced Vitali Klitschko for the WBC title in a contest he lost via unanimous decision. Yet, two years after this fight, his career went downhill, as he amassed twenty-one more losses in matches when he went up against other top heavyweights like Tyson Fury, Derek Chisora, Kubrat Pulev, Andy Ruiz, Filip Hrgovic, Daniel Dubois, Anthony Joshua, Manuel Charr, and so on. Thus, while a decent-quality boxer. He was not as good as most casual watchers thought in December 2009, when he fought for the world title. Though, the majority of experts knew this, as most of his wins up to this point were against poor-quality opposition, which he won by UD, to build up his record.
Padding records is a common practice in boxing, and during this process, good boxers with potential usually get matched up against journeymen and pugilists with losing records. Because of this, there is a sizeable disparity in skill, and it is easier for favorites to win. Due to the fewer losing avenues in boxing, it is also easier for boxers to coast to wins, survive dicey situations, work the clock, and get back into a fight when in danger. It is not weird to see sportsbooks list under 1.2 coefficients for some matches. Winners are often simple to predict, even in high-end contests. Because, as experts will tell you, money cows rarely get matched up with opponents whom their teams believe they can lose to. Difficult to predict contests between two super good fighters in their absolute primes seldom happen in boxing. Consequently, bettors can utilize easy-to-guess fights to pad their slips.
Sprinting
Again, here we have another individual sport that few people do at a high level. That is also because this is pretty much an amateur sport for the most part. Yes, there are professional sprinters, meaning ones that compete for prize money, endorsements, and whatnot, similar to athletes in other sports. But those who can make a decent living of this are few and far between. Accordingly, the athlete pool is not that deep here. No runner comes out of nowhere and wins premium competitions. So, barring injury, unpredictable weather conditions, weird lane assignments, etc. Who will win a sprint race gets considered a relatively predictable thing.
Unlike in team sports, where team-related factors, which are many, come into play, in sprinting, outcomes get influenced by an athlete’s raw speed, technique, and conditioning. If someone is superior to his competition, he tends to dominate events. Something also contributing to the predictability of sprints is that these races happen on a straightforward track. Therefore, there are essentially no opportunities for strategic maneuvers. The number of potential X factors gets minimized, and it becomes all about explosivity and other physical talents.
Formula 1 Racing
Car racing is a sport because it demands a combo of physical fitness, sharp reflexes, strategic planning, mental acuity, and more. Ergo, multiple attributes are required in competitions where the role of machinery is not the sole success determinant. Like in boxing and sprinting, the number of top drivers is not massive. In Formula 1 and similar racing circuits, victory also hinges significantly on the quality of the vehicle driven, as it supplies a sizeable competitive advantage. As a consequence, the combo of an excellent driver in an excellent car produces a terrific chance of a team making the podium. Since only a handful of these combinations exist on the highest level, it is easy to guess which teams will rank high.
It is interesting to note that software modes have gotten created that factor in various variables, like lap time history, pit stop efficiency, driver age, and more, to determine with a stunning degree of accuracy who will win. Those predictions are valid unless unforeseeable factors such as weather conditions and the possibility of mechanical failure take center stage. No one can account for random occurrences despite the amount of data used.
Basketball
Basketball is a high-scoring sport, and when scoring gets as high as in basketball, it is much simpler for a better team to correct course and get back on track. Star players also can influence the end result far more dramatically than in other sports, as they can score without the help of others. Something that is rarely possible in soccer or American football.
While coaching strategies can play a substantial role in games, teams often have defined sets of offensive tactics that they execute with staggering consistency. That means they have a predictable rhythm of scoring, and if a team has cohesion, they can repeat these patterns with a high success rate. Home-court advantage also seems to be a higher factor in basketball than in other sports. That is a well-documented phenomenon, and because of the relatively small court with a fixed number of players on each team, a limited number of variables exist, making it easier to predict game outcomes.
Volleyball
Much of the things said about basketball also apply to volleyball, which also has a structured scoring system that delivers decent predictability in assessing teams’ offensive/defensive capabilities more accurately. Matches also get played indoors, in defined, standard playing circumstances, with consistent lighting and surface conditions. Referees also do not have the ability to influence game flow as much as they do in other sports, so the number of variables here is even lower than in basketball. Volleyball is also high-scoring, so it has that going for it as well.
On top of all this, players have extremely specialized roles. That produces predictable patterns of play for the successful execution of strategies. Inherent uncertainties, like form fluctuations, unexpected strategical adjustments, and injuries can, and do, of course, happen. When they do, they no doubt impact match outcomes. Still, it goes without saying that volleyball games are easier to predict than soccer, American football, rugby, handball, and contests in many other sports.
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