Which sport has the biggest luck factor?

[Yads]

Which sport would you rank the highest luck factor? The lowest luck factor?

My list for highest to lowest luck is:
1. Hockey
2. Baseball
3. Basketball
4. Soccer
5. Football

What do you all think?

[gusmahler]

Because Man U just lost to a bottom of the Championship table, Arsenal just lost to West Ham, and Chelsea's first loss was to a terrible 'Boro team, I'd say soccer has the most luck.

I voted basketball for least luck, though I was thinking NBA instead of NCAA when I selected that choice.

[By-Tor]

I'm a huge fan, but I'd have to throw golf in there...maybe at the top of the list.

It cannot sustain a career, and it doesn't happen every week, but 'lucky shots' have certainly won tournaments.

[Fallen Hero]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm a huge fan, but I'd have to throw golf in there...maybe at the top of the list.

It cannot sustain a career, and it doesn't happen every week, but 'lucky shots' have certainly won tournaments.

[/ QUOTE ]

I admit I know virtually nothing about golf but: with several shots per hole and 18 holes per day (most tournaments are more than a day, right?) shouldn't the luck factor be pretty insignificant ?

[sean c]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm a huge fan, but I'd have to throw golf in there...maybe at the top of the list.

It cannot sustain a career, and it doesn't happen every week, but 'lucky shots' have certainly won tournaments.

[/ QUOTE ]

I admit I know virtually nothing about golf but: with several shots per hole and 18 holes per day (most tournaments are more than a day, right?) shouldn't the luck factor be pretty insignificant ?

[/ QUOTE ]

No because tournaments are usually so close. The difference between a few putts lipping out or one ball going into the hazard vs staying out can be the difference between 1st place and 10th place.

[blinden84]

Here's my theory.

Luck isn't about a putt rolling in or out, thats a matter of skill, you either put it in or not, golf, not luck, pure skill.

Football, this is more luck then anything, because teams can get lucky and get away with penalties and such.

I think the more the officiating has to do with the game, and the larger margin for error, the more luck that will be involved in the game.

Hockey also has a high degree of luck because of hte fast nature of the game.

[MuresanForMVP]

How do so many people think baseball involves the most luck? The season is 162 games long, the better teams win out. Are we considering stuff like injuries, trades,etc as "luck"? I could see a case for costly errors, and in that case maybe the playoffs come down to luck and momentum but I think it's absurd to say that baseball has the biggest luck factor.

[By-Tor]

Hole-in-one, luck or skill?

Eagle from the fairway, luck or skill?

Bounce of the ball off a mound towards the hole rather then the rough, luck or skill?

Granted there is a tremendous amount of skill involved in golf, outside of the top players in the world (and even them at times), when somebody relatively unknown wins, we will more times then not hear about the 'good breaks' or 'lucky bounces' they received.

I think a previous poster nailed it. Luck in golf can be the difference between 1st place or 10th.

[BigSoonerFan]

[ QUOTE ]
Luck isn't about a putt rolling in or out, thats a matter of skill, you either put it in or not, golf, not luck, pure skill.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, a putt that rolls in or out isn't a matter of skill mostly. There is a huge amount of luck in putting, especially the further you get out. The average pro makes just over 50% of his six-foot putts and that isn't because the lack of skill. The undulations in the greens (and the ball marks, spike marks, etc) make it a very lucky task. That being said, the luck is negated quite a bit over a long period of time, like one tournament.

[sean c]

Fallen hero,

Also in the last tournament(Tour Championsihp):

1st = $1,170,000
10th = $182,800