The Playoff Problem

The Super Bowl is a one-game playoff for the championship of the National Football League. In baseball, the World Series is a best-of-seven game playoff, as is the National Basketball Association's Championship Series. In women's tennis, the finals of the U.S. Open is a best-of-three set series, while for men, it is a best-of-five set series. The winner in a series is the team that wins the majority of the games. Once a majority is reached, the remaining games are not played. ls an upset victory more likely with a short or long series? The Playoff Problem investigates the effect of the number of games on the probability that the weaker team will produce an upset.