Tanking

Lore & Background

Tanking is a much more common practice in American sports that utilize closed leagues than open sports leagues in other nations, which typically penalize poor performers using a promotion and relegation system. Relegation costs teams revenue and makes it more difficult for them to attract top talent, making tanking unfeasible. Tanking is differentiated from match fixing, which is done for sports betting purposes and violates rules and laws. One of the first teams to tank was the 1983–84 Houston Rockets, who gave more playing time to lesser talented players to finish with the worst record in the Western Conference, ensuring a coin toss for the first overall pick. The Rockets won the coin toss and drafted Hakeem Olajuwon, who led them to two NBA championships. In the 1983–84 NHL season, the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils admitted they wanted to lose to get the number one pick and select Mario Lemieux. The Penguins finished with the worst record and drafted Lemieux. Tanking did not become prevalent until the 2010s, when teams in all four major American leagues were engaged in various forms of the practice. The Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros pioneered tanking in MLB in the 2010s, with the Astros finishing with the worst record by six games or more for three consecutive years. Both teams used subsequent draft picks to select star players who led them to championships. However, tanking is much less effective in baseball because top MLB draft picks are far less likely to succeed than their counterparts in the NBA or NFL.

Reader's Guide

Tanking's significance lies in its ability to reshape franchises through high draft picks, though it carries risks and controversy. The Philadelphia 76ers' 'The Process' under GM Sam Hinkie exemplified modern tanking: from 2013 to 2016, the team recorded only 47 wins, including an NBA record 28-game losing streak. This poor performance led to Hinkie's departure in April 2016, but the team collected valuable draft assets, selecting cornerstones Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. From 2017 to 2023, Philadelphia won more than 40 games every season and reached the playoffs each year, though they never advanced past the Conference Semifinals. In the NFL, the Miami Dolphins were accused of tanking during the 2019 season when new head coach Brian Flores oversaw a liquidation of established talent. After starting 0–7, the Dolphins won five of their last nine games, denying them the first overall pick but allowing them to select Tua Tagovailoa. Flores later alleged in a 2022 lawsuit that owner Stephen M. Ross offered to pay him $100,000 for each game he lost. The Oakland Athletics' 2022 tanking was financially motivated, as owner John J. Fisher fielded a team with the second-lowest opening day payroll at $48 million, down from $83 million. Despite finishing with the second-worst record, the team turned a profit of $62.2 million due to increased revenue sharing. This method of tanking is illegal in the NFL, NBA, and NHL because those leagues have a salary floor, but MLB does not, leading critics to argue the league needs one to truly end tanking.

Did You Know?

• The 1983–84 Houston Rockets intentionally gave more playing time to lesser talented players to secure the worst record and a coin toss for the first overall pick.
• The NHL did not institute a draft lottery until 1995, despite the 1983–84 Penguins and Devils admitting they wanted to lose for Mario Lemieux.
• The Philadelphia 76ers set an NBA record with a 28-game losing streak during their tanking 'Process' from 2014 to 2016.
• The Oakland Athletics turned a $62.2 million profit in 2022 despite having the second-worst record, due to revenue sharing and a slashed payroll.