Rivalries And Fan Factors In Sports Betting Articles | Gambling

By: Richard Bleuze

In sports betting, the sports bettor needs to realize the effect of rivalries in sports and to use the factors and confounding factors that are at play during rivalry games when doing their homework prior to placing a bet.

In Major League Baseball, divisional rivalries bring out the best in teams.  In many cases, the bettor generally would want to back the underdog in such contests.  For example, in the New York Yankees versus the Boston Red Sox rivalry (perhaps the greatest rivalry in all of sports), backing the underdog in every matchup during a season will yield the bettor profit.  This can be explained by the fact that both teams would want to play their ‘A’ game, and hence the underdog will be that much more motivated.

In the NBA, loosing to a divisional rival is a major event. Not only does the loosing team lose a game, but they also loose footing in the division.  Since they only play each other four times a season, teams treat divisional rivalries with great care.

In the NFL, divisional rivalry games are huge.  Divisional teams usually know a lot of each other; hence games tend to be quite close.  In football, many teams play their best games during rivalry contest match ups.  The general rule of thumb is that the home team has a field goal advantage.
The best way to explain this fact is the role of the fan.  Having support from the crowd pumps up players and distracts the opposing, visiting team. That's why rivalry games are exciting to watch.

In college sports (both basketball and football), where teams play their rivals at most two times, these games become monumental.  In college football, rivals play only once a season, thus, rivalry games are big.  Emotions play a major factor during these types of games, and hence, if a sports bettor is able to read the emotions of team, such a bettor will have a great advantage in betting.
In addition, the role of the home team fan has a great affect.  This is  perhaps the most strongest in collegiate sports.  As an example, in college basketball, the home court advantage is measured by a 3-4 point swing for each arena.

Please keep the following tip in mind, the sports bettor who backs the team who has most recently beaten their long-time rival and that has kept such a team from reaching the title game.  Will often go on and win the championship title.  They are on a mission.  Remember, the 2004 Boston Red Sox in the MLB and the 2006-2007 Indianapolis Colts in the NFL!

In conclusion, rivalries bring out the best in teams.  A sports bettor needs to realize that rivalries bring out different factors, such as added motivation and the like, in teams, and as such, capping such games take on a different meaning