sporting chance

American  

noun

1. an even or fair opportunity for a favorable outcome in an enterprise, as winning in a game of chance or in any kind of contest.

   They gave the less experienced players a sporting chance by handicapping the experts.

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Etymology

Origin of sporting chance

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

The next two teams on the list, the 1968 Cardinals and 1968 Indians, pitched in a year so offensively anemic that baseball soon lowered the mound to give hitters a sporting chance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2016

With Affleck not nominated this time, and no star directors among the final five, Spielberg has a sporting chance, though the feeling here is that Ang Lee will be cited for Life of Pi.

From Time • Feb. 22, 2013

It used to be that journalists had a sporting chance of protecting their sources.

From New York Times • Feb. 12, 2012

A sporting chance The south's newly formed teams have been practising on simple facilities, as the football stadium and basketball court are being repaired, says the BBC's Peter Martell in Juba.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2011

But his sword and his shield weren't, and now that the kid had elected to give him a sporting chance, he would teach the young upstart a lesson that he would never forget.

From A Knyght Ther Was by Young, Robert F.