Hot Hands
Hot Hands
A majority of people know about the hot hand phenomenon. While some people do not believe in the phenomenon, a vast majority is convinced that the hot hand phenomenon is real. However, studies conducted over time have found the hot hand phenomenon to have no basis at all. However, it is important to note that Stephen D. Hales article ‘an epistemologist looks at the hot hand in sports’ is a refreshing piece and largely well written as far as the hot hand phenomenon is concerned. In this text, I provide my own opinion of the text.
An epistemologist looks at the hot hand in sports: a personal opinion
As an ardent observer of sports, most particularly basketball, it does not come as a surprise that some great basketball players of all time like Bjorn Borg seem to exhibit so much masterly of the ball that they can actually make a shot from just about anywhere in the court. Similarly, after a player has made a shot or two, he stands at a vantage position to make yet another shot as opposed to when he has flopped in the earlier shots. This is particularly the reason why more and more fans of basketball, including myself tend to believe in the hot hand phenomenon. Further, it is by no coincidence that players believe in the hot hand phenomenon too.The ‘An epistemologist looks at the hot hand in sports’ author does a good job by advancing the various dissenting arguments that have been advanced against the hot hand phenomenon and in doing so he lets that reader of the text arrive at his own conclusion after a reasonable analysis of the same is presented. In my own opinion, I am convinced that in the case of success breeding success, the hot hand phenomenon is inspired or rather reinforced by a confidence factor. However, this should nit be taken to deny the existence of hot hands.
Therefore, though the ‘success breeds success’ argument is not a mandatory requirement for the existence of ‘hot hands’, this can also be recounted in our day to day lives where maybe in a school scenario, an excellent performance in one exam test can boost ones morale in such a way that they also end up performing exceptionally well in the next test. When it comes to dissenting arguments, I am convinced that while critics have a right of opinion too, they sometimes go overboard in expressing the same.The prevailing data that tends to be hostile to the hot hand phenomenon is basically telling us that there is no way to telling for how long one will remain ‘hot’. However, the basic argument as to the validity of the ‘hot hand phenomenon’ still stands in that there are instances when players feel hot. I can also herein sate that those who are against the idea of ‘hot hands’ are wrong in their erroneous assertions that earlier results do not depict the existence of hot hands.
Conclusion
It is important to note that as per the findings of the article ‘an epistemologist looks at the hot hand in sports’ by Stephen D. Hales, the hot hands phenomenon is really there in sports, most particularly in basketball, and hence the various conclusions drawn in that respect are not only valid but well thought.
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