Show HN: Football Prediction API • Hacker News Board

Re: Show HN: Football Prediction API

#11

Post by LittlePeter » Wed, Mar 14, 2018, 5:26 PM UTC

joncrane wrote: post #2

I think you should call it "soccer" or at least "association football" in this context.

No we should call american football "Hand Egg" instead

Re: Show HN: Football Prediction API

#12

Post by boggio » Wed, Mar 14, 2018, 5:29 PM UTC

edf13 wrote: post #9

boggio wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is an endpoint that measures accuracy. Long-term accuracy is 69%.

Over what period and how far have you back-tested?

1 year and a couple of months.

Re: Show HN: Football Prediction API

#13

Post by joncrane » Wed, Mar 14, 2018, 5:39 PM UTC

crispyporkbites wrote: post #4

joncrane wrote: post #2

I think you should call it "soccer" or at least "association football" in this context.

Why?

Because it's always better to be more specific in all cases.

In this case, especially because it's an international, but heavily American audience.

Re: Show HN: Football Prediction API

#14

Post by geofftrojans » Wed, Mar 14, 2018, 5:45 PM UTC

CJefferson wrote: post #10

bostonpete wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because most native English speakers call it soccer.

Really? Everyone I know calls the sport football. The second F in FIFA is football. I know Americans call it soccer, but that is I assume because of American football, a sport no other country seems to play, or care about.

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/06/wh...

The name soccer came from Britain, not the US. It was used to differentiate Association Football (soccer) from Rugby Football (rugby). Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand all still call the sport soccer. Even in England, it continued to be a popular name for the sport until the 1950s.

Re: Show HN: Football Prediction API

#15

Post by finnci » Wed, Mar 14, 2018, 6:08 PM UTC

geofftrojans wrote: post #14

CJefferson wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? Everyone I know calls the sport football. The second F in FIFA is football. I know Americans call it soccer, but that is I assume because of American football, a sport no other country seems to play, or care about.

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/06/wh... The name soccer came from Britain, not the US. It was used to differentiate Association Football (soccer) from Rugby Football (rugby). Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand all still call the sport soccer. Even in England, it continued to be a popular name for the sport until the 1950s.

Pretty mixed in Ireland to be honest, and we have our own sport Gaelic Football which gets confusing.

Re: Show HN: Football Prediction API

#16

Post by rorygreig » Wed, Mar 14, 2018, 6:12 PM UTC

This seems too good to be true. If they could actually predict football results with better-than-random accuracy, then why wouldn't they just use this themselves to make loads of money on betting markets?

Re: Show HN: Football Prediction API

#17

Post by davidye » Wed, Mar 14, 2018, 6:16 PM UTC

boggio wrote: post #7

crispyporkbites wrote: post #3

Neat! What is it's past performance / accuracy like?

There is an endpoint that measures accuracy. Long-term accuracy is 69%.

What is the baseline accuracy if you just took a measure like team ELO and predicted based on that?

Re: Show HN: Football Prediction API

#18

Post by notahacker » Wed, Mar 14, 2018, 6:17 PM UTC

rorygreig wrote: post #16

This seems too good to be true. If they could actually predict football results with better-than-random accuracy, then why wouldn't they just use this themselves to make loads of money on betting markets?

I don't think they're claiming their statistics-based predictions are necessarily more accurate than the bookmakers' odds

Re: Show HN: Football Prediction API

#19

Post by boggio » Wed, Mar 14, 2018, 6:20 PM UTC

rorygreig wrote: post #16

This seems too good to be true. If they could actually predict football results with better-than-random accuracy, then why wouldn't they just use this themselves to make loads of money on betting markets?

It has 69% accuracy, that means you still lose 31% of the time.

Re: Show HN: Football Prediction API

#20

Post by notahacker » Wed, Mar 14, 2018, 6:21 PM UTC

bostonpete wrote: post #5

crispyporkbites wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why?

Because most native English speakers call it soccer.

I don't think many people likely to be interested in an association football API call it "soccer". They're marketing to that audience, not the minority of the world that assumes "football" refers to a gridiron sport.