Re: Is a tie in a major event a good thing or a bad thing?

Tarkus <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:

> On Tue, 25 Nov 2003 21:55:05 -0600, Dale Hicks wrote:
> 
> > I think it's the best solution available, as it retains most of what makes 
> > football "football" (mainly the 10 yard first downs), is fair (game isn't 
> > decided by which team wins the coin toss), and it decides a winner.  The 
> 
> It's hardly fair.  The team that wins the coin toss has a *huge*
> advantage, because they can go second, and know exactly what they need to
> either win or tie.

And in contrast, the NFL's coin toss does not provide an edge.  The team
that receives the kickoff to open a half is no more likely to score
first than the kicking team (source: The Hidden Game of Football).
Actual statistics for overtime games are also split about 50-50, but
with a smaller sample.

Essentially, the NFL has placed the kickoff line in the right place.
The average kickoff is received at the 25-yard line, and possession of
the ball is worth an extra 25 yards (that is, the team with the football
will advance it an average of 50 yards, or the equivalent value in
points, before giving it up).  

-- 
David Grabiner, [EMAIL PROTECTED], http://remarque.org/~grabiner
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