Why is running up the score bad in sports?

[El Cokehead del Knife Fight]

Please explain as I am an Australian. In the AFL, the only space between two teams tied for points is the points for and points against so it is in a teams best interests to bury the other to pump up their percentage.

Then I find out that this is discouraged in other sports so what the hell?

[Viva]

Because not every sport is tie-broken like that. In fact, that seems to be just the AFL. Here in the states, wins and losses count mostly, after that it's divisional wins. At least in baseball and basketball. So if you win, you win. But if you're up 30 and the game's out of reach, and you're running up the score, it's normally considered bad sportsmanship.

[Red Impact]

In American sports, they don't take points for or against into account for anything when determining champions or post-season seeding. Because of that, it's generally considered poor sportsmanship to run up the score.

That said, I personally don't care. If you don't want the score to get run up on you, play better.

[MGH]

I get when people are upset when it's kids. High schools teaching kids to run up a 100-0 score is lame. But once you're in a major college environment, and especially in the pros, I have no sympathy. It's easier to whine than admit that you or your team should have played defense and showed that they gave a damn.

I go back to the 2007 Patriots as the biggest example. I happen to like Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, but I realize their personalities may rub others the wrong way. I get why people wouldn't like THEM. I think it's incredibly dumb, but I even get people who won't let "spygate" go. There were plenty of reasons to hate that team. But the least of which was them running up the score. Last I checked they're playing fellow athletes being paid to do a job. If they can't do it, it isn't the Patriots' responsibility to pity them. If you're pissed they hung 48 on your team, maybe look at your team before whining about it.

That's more or less my stance in any pro sport. Want to not get embarrassed? Don't embarrass yourself first.

[Kevin Hamilton]

Sept 29, 2011 22:46:42 GMT -5 MGH said:

I get when people are upset when it's kids. High schools teaching kids to run up a 100-0 score is lame. But once you're in a major college environment, and especially in the pros, I have no sympathy. It's easier to whine than admit that you or your team should have played defense and showed that they gave a damn.

I go back to the 2007 Patriots as the biggest example. I happen to like Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, but I realize their personalities may rub others the wrong way. I get why people wouldn't like THEM. I think it's incredibly dumb, but I even get people who won't let "spygate" go. There were plenty of reasons to hate that team. But the least of which was them running up the score. Last I checked they're playing fellow athletes being paid to do a job. If they can't do it, it isn't the Patriots' responsibility to pity them. If you're pissed they hung 48 on your team, maybe look at your team before whining about it.

That's more or less my stance in any pro sport. Want to not get embarrassed? Don't embarrass yourself first.

Mirrors my feelings. High school, even college, I can see the argument.

When you're in the pros though, want someone not to run up the score? Stop 'em.

[Deleted]

I don't find it in bad taste but I start to lose interest in it. Also, if the reason the team is reeming the other one because they just happen to have the majority of the best players in the league, such as the UCONN ladies basketball team, or if they have an overabundance of talent like the Heat, Yankees or my own Phillies, it becomes less that the team plays so much better than other teams and more the team just happened to buy the best players around.

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

My feeling about running up the score is this.

If it's anything besides the pros, don't do it because the team you are beating down is still comprised mostly of kids who haven't fully matured yet in this harsh world.

If it's pros...........those athletes are paid to stop them so if they can't stop them........that's not the other team's problem. Although if you are still having your first team still in there, the other team is in its rights (in the court of public opinion) to hurt your sorry ass.

[CaptainFall]

This sounds very much like something that only applies to American sports. I would have thought slowing down to allow the other team not to lose so bad would be seen as patronising and just as insulting as thrashing them.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

You just don't it, it's when bad things happen, especially in a physical sport like hockey. When the Bertuzzi/Moore thing happened, the score was 9-2 to Colorado. It wouldn't have happened at 3-2 or 4-2.. When the game is out of reach, a new mini game kind of begins, where you send messages for next time or whatever.

It's poor sportsmanship at any age and any level.

[Jiren]

I happen to like it

If a team plays s*** they pay the price, If it's a team that does it constantly then it's sweet when they finally get taken down.

[noleafclover1980]

I think the problem with the Pats in '07 is down the road Belichick proved to be a massive hypocrite. When he was blowing teams out, and passing on 4th downs and stuff late in the game, he would use excuses like "I'm giving them a chance to stop us from scoring on 4th down and not taking the FG" And he was using the whole "WE play 4 quarters" line.. what happens a couple of years later when his team is on the receiving end of an ass kicking? He pulled his starters in the 4th quarter, basically conceding. So basically, his teams play 4 quarters if it involves whipping their ass and running the score up, but not when they are getting thumped.

[Father Dougal McGuire]

Sept 29, 2011 22:37:10 GMT -5 El Cokehead del Knife Fight said:

Please explain as I am an Australian. In the AFL, the only space between two teams tied for points is the points for and points against so it is in a teams best interests to bury the other to pump up their percentage.

Then I find out that this is discouraged in other sports so what the hell?

Well AFL's stats are very similar to College football since points and margin of victory are deciding factors in figuring out the stats on who goes to the championship/bowl games. College football is very convoluted and is probably not the best example.

As for the professional sports, NFL, NBA, etc, since a win is a win, and points/margin of victory is way down the list of tiebreakers. It is in the winning teams favor to slow down a bit and take time off the clock. Baseball is a exception since it has a huge importance on statistics.

Also, in American Football running plays take more time off the game clock since an incomplete pass stops the clock.

[Back to being Cenanuff]

It's poor sportsmanship. It shows no respect to the people across the ball/puck from you, and smacks of trying to pad your individual stats at the expense of a beaten team.

[AnActualBear]

In Soccer (urgh, hate using that word) goal difference is the way teams are seperated if they have the same amount of points, so running up the score, on the rare occasion it does happen, is in the teams best interest. Same as Rugby too I believe. Some countries football leagues, like Spain for example, use head-to-head rather than goal difference, but even then if the head-to-head is the same as well they use either goal difference or goals scored, so again it's in the teams best interests to score as much as possible. I think this is definitely an American thing.

['Foretold' Joker]

Nothing like a good old hammering of an opposing sports team. Plus goal difference is important in football. (Also in Rugby)

In Cricket runs are essential so a high score is key.

Plus if you in a winning team you don't want to let up and even suggest the possibility of the other team that they can make a come back. (seen it far too many times in football where a side is 3 or 4 up and promptly takes the foot off the gas and loses.)

This applies to professional games, friendlies and casual games between friends should not hammer the opposition in to the ground if they already have a distinct advantage.

[Push R Truth]

I fully support running up the score in all professional leagues.

BOO HOO, the Patriots just scored 70 on us.

I dunno, try and stop them next time? Take your 250,000$ game check and cry me a river.




In college, it's different because it's not balanced at all. Oklahoma should probably take the foot off the gas once they are pounding Southern Roast Beef State Tech 52-0. But on the flip side, if you are a third string running back, this might be your only game to play. Are you going to go out there and NOT try?

[Bo Rida]

Sept 30, 2011 2:11:00 GMT -5 CaptainFall said:

This sounds very much like something that only applies to American sports. I would have thought slowing down to allow the other team not to lose so bad would be seen as patronising and just as insulting as thrashing them.

That's what I thought, nothing worse than not being able to do anything against a team that's not really trying.

You also have to remember that footballer’s bonuses can depend on the amount of goals they score or how many clean-sheets they keep.
It may not matter as much these days (especially at the top of the game) but it’s still relevant.

I’m not sure if that applies to American or Aussie sports but I’d be surprised if it didn’t.

[FUNK_US/BRODUS]

As far as Im aware, in America its bad. In the rest of the world, it isnt.


Thats not a criticism of either one, thats just something I picked up. Watching college games at OK State, youd see 2nd stringers come in at the end to get some minute when the game is safe.

[WorkingInAColeMine]

In pro sports it is dumb to complain about.

If you want them to stop scoring then do something about it.

What lead is truly safe? There are all these baseball rules about stealing bases with big leads but the 2001 Mariners-Indians game (and several others) shows that leads aren't safe.


The crazy part is in the NFL and NBA some of the tie-breakers ARE score differential. Sure you have to get down to like 7th in the NFL and 6th in the NBA but why even take a chance?

Sept 30, 2011 5:25:56 GMT -5 Back to being Cenanuff said:

It's poor sportsmanship. It shows no respect to the people across the ball/puck from you, and smacks of trying to pad your individual stats at the expense of a beaten team.

You mean those individual stats can mean the difference in millions of dollars in contracts?

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Sept 30, 2011 6:52:10 GMT -5 Push R Truth said:

In college, it's different because it's not balanced at all. Oklahoma should probably take the foot off the gas once they are pounding Southern Roast Beef State Tech 52-0. But on the flip side, if you are a third string running back, this might be your only game to play. Are you going to go out there and NOT try?

The Fighting Wellingtons could be a promising program had the Sooners not demoralized them.

But seriously, I get why people have a problem with it if we're discussing play under the pro level, but once you reach the majors my sympathy erodes significantly. Not only have you reached a salary level that most people nowadays would kill to have just for playing a game, but if you're also talented enough to make that level and you still find yourself that outmatched, it's time to at least reassess your strategy.