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Reader question: Please explain this sentence: “All we want is a sporting chance.” My comments: Joseph Mitchell (1908-1996) at the New Yorker once wrote a story titled A Sporting Man, a profile about a sort of professional gambler - Sort of, because later in life, the man in question no longer frequented casinos, racing grounds or any other gambling houses of the professional type. However, by and large, taking a chance remained the man’s style of living. “I haven’t got a whole lot of sense,” the man known as Commodore Dutch likes to say, “but I got too much sense to work.” Get that article online or somewhere and read it. It’ll be worth your while. Anyways, a sporting man being a gambling man shows us that “sporting” is closely associated with gambling, or taking a risk in the hope of winning big. A sporting chance by definition means a fair chance, an opportunity. As in betting on a racing horse, so long as you’re given a chance to make a bet, there’s always a chance of winning, however slim. As all sportsmen and women know, anybody can win a competition. No matter how formidable the opponent is, if you play hard, you may win – on a good day and with a bit of luck. That’s the nature of sports and competition. In other words, the sporting David may indeed beat Goliath once in a great while. Once in a great while, to be sure but still, the chance is there. It exists. | 
