Handicapping

[Beyond the Bets]

If you presented me with a series of 50/50 propositions - or propositions that were "about 50/50" - and told me to pick one over the other, with one option being the "right" answer and the other being the "wrong" answer, I would say quite confidently that I'd be right more often than I am wrong.

The reason for this is because I have the ability to research the two potential options and choose what I think will be the correct answer.

"Will it be warmer or colder than 75 degrees today?"

"Will the McDonald's employee return with my order within the next 90 seconds?"

"Is the total cost of the clothes on Person X's body higher or lower than $125?"

All of these are typical, every day questions that we have the capacity to answer with a bit of research, intuition and analytical thinking. And if presented with 100 such questions, who among us doesn't think we're capable of guessing correctly 53 out of 100 times?

I ask because most of the people reading this thread are far more knowledgeable about sports (and sports betting) than about weather, fast food service and clothing costs. And yet, many of us can't guess right 53 times out of 100 about sports questions - "Reds or Indians, who wins?" - when you'd think we'd be able to do it easily.

Kind of pathetic, if you think about it.

Also: Dumb thread, I know.