The Science and Sentiment of Sporting Streaks

Sport is obsessed with streaks—with dynasties that seem unstoppable and teams so cursed they appear incapable of winning. From the record-breaking dominance of the 1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers to the years-long misery of the Cleveland Browns or the American Samoa football team, winning and losing runs are woven into how fans explain success and failure. In this episode, we explore what really lies behind these streaks: whether they are driven by leadership changes, psychology, money, and momentum, or whether—as statisticians argue—they are often little more than chance misread as meaning. By comparing real-life turnarounds with the stories we tell about them on screen, the episode asks why humans crave explanations for runs of fortune and misfortune—and why, for many fans, there is a strange comfort in backing a team whose day will surely come.https://www.economist.com/culture/2023/12/22/how-to-break-a-losing-streak