I generally appreciate sports analytics, but in the sport I watch the most (NBA) they have a long way to go.
While I admit this is a personal failure, I too often find the articles (especially by guys like Hollinger) obnoxious. They love to tout simple stat concepts (regression to the mean! sample size!) as keen statistical insight. Another example is the PER metric: it is a simple weighted average of multiple stat categories but the author regards it as the authority by which all players should be measured.
Additionally, nba stat analysts believe stats tell the entire story. The nba right now, more than any other sport, in my opinion, is the sport which can least be described by statistics. Reading one of their articles, however, would leave you wondering why they even bother playing the games.
Thanks! I am a fan of Daryl Morey and what he does in Houston. A tidbit you might find interesting: he among others hold a sports analytics conference in Boston at MIT every year. The big thing last year was evidence that the hot hand theory in basketball is false.
While I admit this is a personal failure, I too often find the articles (especially by guys like Hollinger) obnoxious. They love to tout simple stat concepts (regression to the mean! sample size!) as keen statistical insight. Another example is the PER metric: it is a simple weighted average of multiple stat categories but the author regards it as the authority by which all players should be measured.
Additionally, nba stat analysts believe stats tell the entire story. The nba right now, more than any other sport, in my opinion, is the sport which can least be described by statistics. Reading one of their articles, however, would leave you wondering why they even bother playing the games.
Edit: clarity.