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

Even a scoreless draw or 1-0 defeat would leave them a sporting chance before a second leg against a Peru side that could conceivably buckle under the potentially crippling weight of national expectation back home.

From The Guardian • Nov. 9, 2017

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

Had I a sporting chance or were the odds against me too great?

From 'Brother Bosch', an Airman's Escape from Germany by Knight, Gerald Featherstone