sporting chance
Reasonable hope succeeding
A sporting chance is a reasonable opportunity for success—not a guarantee, but enough of a possibility to make the attempt worthwhile.
The phrase comes from fair play in sport, where competitors deserve a genuine shot at winning: Give me a sporting chance to prove myself.
It often appears when odds are uncertain but not hopeless.
Favorable circumstance for advancement
- prospectPotential client or opportunity
- shotQuick liquor serving
- openingGap or start
- likelihoodChance something will occur
potential · feasibility · probability · plausibility · hope · promise · outlook · break
Stake on uncertain outcome
- wagerStake on uncertainty
- oddsLikelihood expressed numerically
- stakesPosts or wagers
- bettingStaking money on outcomes
uncertainty · speculation · unpredictability · punt · flutter · hazard · venture
Feeling positive expectation
- confidenceSelf-assurance or trust
- positiveAffirming or certain
- encouragementSupport spurring continued effort
- beliefTrust held as true
faith · expectation · aspiration · buoyancy · sanguine · upbeat · promising · auspicious
opportunity
Favorable circumstance for advancement
likelihood · potential · feasibility · probability · plausibility · hope · promise · outlook · break · window
gamble
Stake on uncertain outcome
betting · uncertainty · speculation · unpredictability · punt · flutter · hazard · venture
hopeful
Feeling positive expectation
- confidenceSelf-assurance or trust
- positiveAffirming or certain
- encouragementSupport spurring continued effort
belief · faith · expectation · aspiration · buoyancy · sanguine · upbeat · promising · auspicious · heartening
equal-opportunity
Treating all candidates identically
- opportunitygolden opportunity, window of opportunity, opportunity knocks, once in a lifetime, big break
- sportsmanshipfairness, fair play, respect, integrity, play fair
sporting chancesure thing
Guaranteed outcome or agreement
certainty · foregone conclusion · lost cause · impossibility · hopeless case
sporting chancerigged game
Contest with predetermined outcome
stacked deck · loaded dice · kangaroo court · no-win situation · Catch-22
sport, chance, sports, sporty, sporting, sported, sportive, sportsman, sportsmanship