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I completely disagree with the premise of the article that draws are most boring and the wider the score difference the more interesting the game is. Frequentl

I completely disagree with the premise of the article that draws are most boring and the wider the score difference the more interesting the game is. Frequently draws are very exciting, they can make compelling viewing. In a game that is completely dominated by one team, there can be very little of interest. An alternative metric would be the degree of uncertainty/jeopardy in the game. So a game that ends 1-1 has a high degree of jeopardy because at any moment a team can score and take point from the other team.

WesleyLivesay 1y ago
Agreed, classifying all draws as boring is just wrong. There are boring draws, some are excruciating to watch because so little is happening. There are also draws that are the most stressful, exciting, and action packed games you will ever see.
- empath75 1y ago
  What makes draws interesting or not depends on two things, what is happening on the field (were there good chances? A lot of goals? Interesting strategic play?), and also the context of the game. Does the outcome matter for your team, or not? Some of the best games I've ever watched ended in draws, but that point mattered for whether my team was going to take over first place or not, or whether they made it out of the group stage or not. The really boring draws are when one team is basically just playing very defensively and also the game doesn't matter to either team.
kmnc 1y ago
Yeah but if you’re actually hoping for one of those teams to win, and not just watching for the “quality” of a match a draw is, always boring.
- 0xcafecafe 1y ago
  Most of the time unless your club is playing, you'd root for a draw in games between top teams for the rivals to drop points. So rooting for a draw is more exciting for a Liverpool fan watching an Arsenal City game for instance.
- dylan604 1y ago
  Someone else mentioned needing additional stats to just the score line. There are most definitely boring draws. There are also boring blow outs. If the draw comes with lots of saves, which naturally means lots of shots on target, lots of corners, equal time of possession, then that would be a much more exciting match. A game with a low shot count and few corners would indicate a potentially boring game
FranklinMaillot 1y ago
The number of goals scored in a game would be a better metric in my opinion.
- dylan604 1y ago
  Like those thrilling 3-0 American Throwball scores that are labeled classic defensive battles? In proper Football, that’s just called parking the bus
- thom 1y ago
  The sum of positive possession-value deltas! Captures end-to-end games where exciting dribbles nevertheless don't convert into shots or goals.
tharmas 1y ago
Agreed as well. I would say shots on target (not straight at the goalkeeper) are a good metric of an exciting game. I would also include near misses past the post and just over the bar as I don't think these are officially counted as "shots on target". Dribbles or passing plays into the box which may not result in a shot are exciting too. For match excitement/entertainment value these should be measured also.

WesleyLivesay 1y ago

Agreed, classifying all draws as boring is just wrong. There are boring draws, some are excruciating to watch because so little is happening. There are also draws that are the most stressful, exciting, and action packed games you will ever see.

empath75 1y ago
What makes draws interesting or not depends on two things, what is happening on the field (were there good chances? A lot of goals? Interesting strategic play?), and also the context of the game. Does the outcome matter for your team, or not? Some of the best games I've ever watched ended in draws, but that point mattered for whether my team was going to take over first place or not, or whether they made it out of the group stage or not. The really boring draws are when one team is basically just playing very defensively and also the game doesn't matter to either team.

kmnc 1y ago

Yeah but if you’re actually hoping for one of those teams to win, and not just watching for the “quality” of a match a draw is, always boring.

0xcafecafe 1y ago
Most of the time unless your club is playing, you'd root for a draw in games between top teams for the rivals to drop points. So rooting for a draw is more exciting for a Liverpool fan watching an Arsenal City game for instance.
dylan604 1y ago
Someone else mentioned needing additional stats to just the score line. There are most definitely boring draws. There are also boring blow outs. If the draw comes with lots of saves, which naturally means lots of shots on target, lots of corners, equal time of possession, then that would be a much more exciting match. A game with a low shot count and few corners would indicate a potentially boring game

FranklinMaillot 1y ago

The number of goals scored in a game would be a better metric in my opinion.

dylan604 1y ago
Like those thrilling 3-0 American Throwball scores that are labeled classic defensive battles? In proper Football, that’s just called parking the bus
thom 1y ago
The sum of positive possession-value deltas! Captures end-to-end games where exciting dribbles nevertheless don't convert into shots or goals.

tharmas 1y ago

Agreed as well. I would say shots on target (not straight at the goalkeeper) are a good metric of an exciting game. I would also include near misses past the post and just over the bar as I don't think these are officially counted as "shots on target". Dribbles or passing plays into the box which may not result in a shot are exciting too. For match excitement/entertainment value these should be measured also.