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Malcolm gladwell underdog7/5/2023 A well-known inefficiency in gambling, first identified in 1949 and known as the “ favorite-longshot bias,” derives from the fact that bettors often place too much faith in underdogs like Redwood City, and not enough in their opponents. In part because of the qualities we (wrongly) attribute to them, people tend to overestimate David’s chances. One guessed that 90 percent of the coaches make use of it, and some do so for the whole game, like Ranadivé did. And when I reached out to other coaches in the same division, they told me that the full-court press is a common strategy, no matter if the girls are underdogs or favorites. (Redwood City has excelled at NJB for many years.) The “nationals” are not, in fact, a national tournament, as the league comprises mostly teams from California. The Silicon Valley area from which the team was drawn includes lots of wealthy families, so the girls also had the benefit of high-quality training facilities and dedicated parents. Gladwell describes the coach as “a foreigner new to the game” who was helping the girls “in a sport he knew nothing about.” But Ranadivé is so ambitious, and so invested in the sport of basketball, that he brought expert help to Redwood City, including several former pro athletes. First, Ranadivé is less of an outsider than he appears to be. But certain aspects of the story push back against its central thrust.
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