Running up the score

Running up the score (or "piling on") is a sports strategy that occurs when a winning team continues to play in such a way as to score additional points after the outcome of the game is beyond doubt.

Alternatives might include pulling out most of the team's first-string players, or calling plays designed to run out the clock (e.g., in American football, kneeling or running the ball up the middle). Mercy rules are used in some amateur sports, which end the game when the score differential reaches a certain point.

In professional sports in the United States, running up the score has generally been considered controversial and has been subject to debate. In team sports in many other parts of the world, it is normal and indeed expected that professional athletes will continue to attempt to score points for as long as they have the opportunity to do so.

Those who oppose the strategy note that running up the score may be considered poor sportsmanship by fans, players, and coaches, but there have been different opinions of how big an insult running up the score is. Allegations of poor sportsmanship are also often brought up in the United States soon after a team scores multiple times near the end of a one-sided match. Running up the score can also cause injuries to a game's starting players, can lead to less game experience for non-starting and lower caliber players on the team (in cases where starters are left in a game well after the outcome is certain), and can motivate future opponents to run up the score. Players on the losing side may also end up feeling disrespected and may decide to vent their frustration through violent or unsporting play, which can lead to injuries and fights, and even potential post-game punishment such as fines or suspension from future play.

Those who favor running up the score in the United States argue there are potential benefits, such as catering to polls (when they are used to determine team rankings), getting additional experience for players, or preventing potential comebacks. In many sports, teams are incentivized to run up the score, owing to the use of goal difference (or equivalents such as net run rate) as a tiebreaker in competitions; in this case there may be less of a stigma around large score differentials.