Arguing about sports is as old as the games people play. Over the years sports debates have become muddled by many myths that do not match the numbers generated by those playing the games. In The Wages of Wins, the authors use layman's language and easy to follow examples based on their own academic research to debunk many of the most commonly held beliefs about sports. In this updated version of their book, these authors explain why Allen Iverson leaving Philadelphia made the 76ers a better team, why the Yankees find it so hard to repeat their success from the late 1990s, and why even great quarterbacks like Brett Favre are consistently inconsistent. The book names names, and makes it abundantly clear that much of the decision making of coaches and general managers does not hold up to an analysis of the numbers. Whether you are a fantasy league fanatic or a casual weekend fan, much of what you believe about sports will change after reading this book.
contents List of Figures and Tables vii Preface xi Preface to the Paperback Edition xv Chapter 1 Games with Numbers 1 Chapter 2 Much Talking, Little Walking 11 Chapter 3 Can You Buy the Fan's Love? 30 Chapter 4 Baseball's Competitive Balance Problem? 46 Chapter 5 The NBA's Competitive Balance Problem? 69 Chapter 6 Shaq and Kobe 90 Chapter 7 Who Is the Best? 116 Chapter 8 A Few Chicago Stories 146 Chapter 9 How Are Quarterbacks Like Mutual Funds? 172 Chapter 10 Scoring to Score 201 Notes 227 References 269 Index 279
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