Playing to your opponent’s weakness – or strength

Abstract

Playing to your opponent’s weakness is a strategy commonly adopted in head-to-head sports. I argue, however, that competitors in head-to-head sports should adopt the opposite strategy: playing to your opponent’s strength (PTS). To do so, I first distinguish two senses of victory and explain what constitutes a meaningful victory in head-to-head sports. I then examine the implications of mutualism as exhibited in Robert L. Simon’s view that sport is a mutual quest for excellence through challenge. Finally, I defend the notion that competitors in head-to-head sports should adopt PTS by stating and answering seven objections.

Keywords:

• Exploiting your opponent’s weakness
• athletic strategy
• victory in sports
• mutualism
• head-to-head sports

Notes

1. I thank two anonymous reviewers for their thought-provoking – and challenging – observations on an earlier version of this paper.