this post was submitted on 02 Aug 2024
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The idea isn't crazy, depending on what sport you have as a frame of reference.
I mean, I'd have a chance to win a single hole against a pro golfer with a lucky shot. I'd have a chance to score a single hit against a major-league pitcher. I'd have a decent chance to at least sink a single ball against a professional pool player. I'd surely capture a few pieces in a game of chess against Magnus Carlsen (though not any he didn't intend to lose, so bad example). I might even be able to Forrest-Gump my way to a touchdown against a pro football team if someone sent me a perfect pass.
Of course I'd have no chance to win an entire game in any of those cases, but in many sports, a competent amateur has a chance to at least get a point against a pro.
That said, I've seen pro table tennis and I know for sure I'm not getting a point unless they are struck by well-timed lightning. We are not playing the same game. It'd be like going to a motorcycle rally with my bicycle.
Whether you're able to take a point depends on how much of the game/sport depends on chance. At one end of the spectrum, chess is minimal percentage dependent on chance; you're never beating Carlsen in a match (though nor is 99.9999% of the population!), but on the other (e.g. poker) there's a big element of luck, and the skill element is knowing how to play to your best odds.
Let's be real, you're also never beating a pro poker player.
You could well beat a pro poker player in a hand -- point is you're never beating them over the course of a game.