Ladder tournaments and underdogs: lessons from professional bowling

This paper examines performance in ladder tournaments, using data from professional bowling competitions. Although there is a distinct advantage to starting with a higher rank in a ladder tournament, the results indicate that "underdogs" win more often than expected. The findings are explained by regression-to-the-mean and hot-hand theories, both of which are consistent with the particular structure of the ladder tournament. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.