"Fading the public" is a sports betting strategy that involves betting against the majority sentiment or trend among the general betting public, based on the belief that public perception can often be misguided or influenced by emotions rather than objective analysis. Typically, public bettors are drawn to popular teams or narratives, leading to inflated line movements that do not accurately reflect the true probability of an outcome. By analyzing betting patterns and identifying games where there is a significant public bias, sharp bettors can exploit the mispriced odds set by sportsbooks, which are influenced by both bets placed and the need for the book to balance its action.