Point differential in sports… What is it and why is it important?
In: Mathematics
Generally, point differential (PD) is the difference between points earned and points conceded. If a soccer team scores 50 games in the season and concedes 38, their (PD) is +12 for the season.
This statistics comes into play a few ways. First, PD is often one of the tiebreaker elements when determining league ranking. If two teams have the same number of wins and loses in a season, the team with the higher point differential could be the winner if the league rules say so. Second, PD can be an analytical gauge of the team’s performance. If a team wins a lot but has a low PD, then it suggests that may they are more lucky than good, play a very conservative style of play, or have a habit of losing big in the few times they lose. Third, I am sure there is some gambling element to it, where people will bet what PD a team will have during the season. People will gamble on just about any statistic available.
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