An emotional hedge is a type of sports bet in which a fan of a certain team bets against the team they are emotionally attached to, so if their team loses, they will win money and feel less bad about it.[1] Some fans who do the bet see it as a win–win,[2] because in each scenario, they either make money (minimizing disappointment) or are pleased to see their team win.[3]

Reluctance

Despite the fact that the emotional hedge guarantees the bettor one positive outcome, it is rarely observed. Optimism bias, in which the probability of a positive outcome is overestimated by an emotionally-driven bettor, plays a part in many people's decision not to make the bet.[4] Many are also reluctant to make the bet because they feel that it is disloyal, that they are essentially betraying their favorite sports team.[5]

See also

References

  1. "The Emotional Hedge Bet". First Off The Bench. 16 February 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  2. Millman, Chad (13 January 2010). "The power of the emotional hedge bet". ESPN. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  3. Ayello, Jim (29 December 2020). "The emotional hedge bet: What it is and why Colts fans need to place it before Sunday". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  4. "Emotional Hedge". The Unchained Banker. 2 February 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  5. Morewedge, Carey K. (14 October 2016). "Why You Should Bet Against Your Candidate". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 March 2021.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.