Why Do Pro Sports Teams Purposely Lose Games?

Harmon Reed | August 4, 2025

Picture this: You're watching your favorite team play, and something feels off. The star player sits out with a mysterious "rest day," the coach makes bizarre substitutions, and suddenly your team is losing to the worst squad in the league. Welcome to the controversial world of "tanking" – where losing isn't just accepted, it's the entire strategy.

The Draft Pick Gold Rush

Professional sports operate on a twisted logic where being terrible today can make you championship-worthy tomorrow. Most major leagues use a draft system that rewards the worst teams with the first picks of incoming talent. Teams essentially gamble their current season for a shot at generational players who could transform their franchise for decades.

The NBA's draft lottery system gives the worst team only a 14% chance at the top pick, but even those odds feel worth it when potential superstars are on the table. Teams have built entire rebuild strategies around accumulating multiple high draft picks over several seasons. This approach transforms losing from a source of shame into a calculated business decision that can generate millions in future revenue.

The Process Revolution

The Philadelphia 76ers turned tanking into an art form with their infamous "Trust the Process" campaign from 2013-2017. General Manager Sam Hinkie deliberately assembled rosters of players who wouldn't win many games, trading away any veteran talent for future draft picks and salary cap space. The strategy was brutally honest about prioritizing long-term success over short-term competitiveness.

During this period, the 76ers won just 75 games across three seasons while accumulating an unprecedented collection of draft assets. Critics called it a mockery of competitive integrity, but the strategy eventually landed them Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The approach became so influential that other franchises began copying elements of "The Process," forcing the NBA to reform its lottery system.

Financial Motivations Behind Strategic Losing

Tanking isn't just about draft picks – it's about cold, hard cash. Losing teams can shed expensive veteran contracts, dramatically reducing their payroll while still collecting revenue from television deals, sponsorships, and merchandising. Some franchises save tens of millions of dollars in player salaries during tank seasons while their revenue streams remain largely intact.

Lower expectations also reduce pressure on coaching staffs and front office personnel. Teams can experiment with younger players, test different systems, and make mistakes without facing the intense scrutiny that comes with championship aspirations. This creates a more relaxed environment where development becomes the primary focus rather than immediate results.

The Salary Cap Chess Game

Strategic losing often coincides with salary cap manipulation that can benefit teams for years. By trading away expensive veterans and embracing cheaper rookie contracts, teams create massive amounts of cap space for future free agent signings. This financial flexibility becomes incredibly valuable when elite players become available.

Teams like the Miami Heat used this strategy to clear enough cap space to sign LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade simultaneously in 2010. The temporary pain of fielding weaker rosters enabled them to create a championship-caliber team almost overnight. Smart general managers view salary cap space as an asset that's sometimes more valuable than winning games in the present.

League Intervention and Unintended Consequences

Sports leagues have grown increasingly uncomfortable with obvious tanking, implementing various measures to discourage the practice. The NBA flattened its lottery odds to reduce tanking incentives, while the NFL's more random draft order makes strategic losing less predictable. However, these reforms often create new loopholes that creative front offices quickly exploit.

Some argue that tanking actually increases competitive balance by preventing the same teams from dominating year after year. When poorly managed franchises can reset through strategic losing, it theoretically gives every team a pathway back to relevance. This cycle of rebuilding and contending creates more storylines and keeps more fan bases engaged across longer periods.

The Fan Experience Dilemma

Perhaps the most complex aspect of tanking involves its impact on loyal fans who purchase tickets and merchandise regardless of their team's performance. These supporters essentially subsidize tanking strategies by continuing to provide revenue even when teams field inferior products. Season ticket holders often feel betrayed when organizations prioritize future success over current competitiveness.

Yet many fans have embraced tanking culture, celebrating losses that improve their team's draft position and creating elaborate charts tracking their team's path to better picks. Social media has transformed tank watching into entertainment, with fans ironically cheering against their own team while maintaining long-term optimism. This psychological adaptation allows supporters to find meaning in meaningless games.

Ethical Questions and Competitive Integrity

The practice raises fundamental questions about the nature of professional competition and whether teams have obligations to compete at maximum effort. Critics argue that tanking violates the basic premise of sports by intentionally producing inferior entertainment for paying customers. Players often resist tanking strategies because poor performance can damage their individual statistics and future contract negotiations.

However, defenders of strategic losing point out that rebuilding through the draft is often the only realistic path to championship contention for small-market teams. Without the ability to attract elite free agents, these franchises must identify and develop talent through the draft system. Tanking becomes a tool for competitive balance rather than an abandonment of competitive integrity.

The reality is that professional sports exist within economic systems that sometimes reward short-term losing for long-term success. Until leagues completely restructure their incentive systems, teams will continue finding ways to game the system for competitive advantages.

Tanking will likely remain a controversial but persistent element of professional sports. Whether you view it as brilliant strategic thinking or a betrayal of competitive spirit, one thing is certain – in the upside-down world of professional sports, sometimes the best way to win is to lose. Pick one team's rebuilding strategy and follow their journey right now. Momentum in sports starts with understanding the game behind the game.