The Wages of Wins


Book Description

The Wages of Wins is a proper analysis of the data generated by professional sports; it tells many tales that are inconsistent with the myths put forward by the media, industry, and consumers of professional sport.




The Wages of Wins


Book Description

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.




Stumbling on Wins (Bonus Content Edition)


Book Description

The next quantum leap beyond Moneyball, this book offers powerful new insights into all human decision-making, because if sports teams are getting it wrong this badly, how do you know you're not? Sometimes the decisions that teams make are simply inexplicable. Consider: sports teams have an immense amount of detailed, quantifiable information to draw upon, more than in virtually any other industry. They have powerful incentives for making good decisions. Everyone sees the results of their choices, and the consequences for failure are severe. And yet... they keep making the same mistakes over and over again... systematic mistakes you'd think they'd learn how to avoid. Now, two leading sports economists reveal those mistakes in basketball, baseball, football, and hockey, and explain why sports decision-makers never seem to learn their lessons. You'll learn which statistics are connected to wins, and which aren't, and which statistics can and can't predict the future. Along the way, David Berri and Martin Schmidt show why a quarterback's place in the draft tells you nothing about how he'll perform in the NFL... why basketball decision-makers don't focus on the factors that really correlate with NBA success... why famous coaches don't deliver better results... and much more.




Stumbling On Wins in Basketball


Book Description

This is the eBook version of the printed book. Like what you've read? Get more in Stumbling On Wins: Two Economists Expose the Pitfalls on the Road to Victory in Professional Sports (9780132357784) by David J. Berri and Martin B. Schmidt. Available in print and digital formats. In basketball, spending explains less than 10% of the variation in wins. Discover what explains the other 90%! In basketball, success takes more than money. From 1997-98 to 2003-04, the Knicks finished either first or second in payroll—and won only six more games than they lost. Their “averageness” led them to hire Isiah Thomas. Few people knew more about basketball. Thomas’s path to disaster began with his first move: sending several players and draft picks to the Suns for players, including Stephon Marbury.




Total Sportscasting


Book Description

Whether you want to be in front of the camera, on the microphone, or behind the scenes, Total Sportscasting gives you the skills you’ll need to become successful in this dynamic industry. This book covers everything from performance and production techniques to all aspects of sportscasting, good broadcast writing techniques, and how best to forge lasting relationships with team personnel. It also delves into the unique issues facing women sportscasters. And when it comes to breaking into the business, Total Sportscasting devotes entire chapters to career development and demo reel production. For important perspective, we’ve also included chapters on the history of sportscasting and attempts to glimpse into its future. Total Sportscasting is packed with a variety of features for both learning and instructing: Complete coverage of every aspect of the sportscast, helping you prepare for any platform—TV, radio, and the web Interviews with successful sports journalists, producers, and directors who give you an inside look into the real-world practices of the industry A companion website, which provides additional resources for both instructors and students, including video and audio examples and links to additional resources: www.totalsportscasting.com




Sports Economics


Book Description




Fans of the World, Unite!


Book Description

Fans of baseball, football, basketball, and hockey have long been exploited and oppressed by the monopolistic practices of team owners. The time has come for a revolution in the organization of major U.S. sports! Fans of the World, Unite! is a clarion call to sports fans. Appealing to anyone who is in despair due to the greed and incompetence of team owners, this book proposes a significant restructuring of sports leagues. It sets out a rational program for a revolution that will serve the best interests of the fans and of the sport itself. But Stephen F. Ross and Stefan Szymanski are no Marxists: they show how a revolution in the organization of sports might even benefit the owners. By harnessing the power of markets, sports leagues can be made both more responsive to the needs of the fans, and more efficient. Ross and Szymanski have spent many years evaluating the ways in which leagues work across the globe. Drawing on their extensive study of leagues, the authors boil down their plan to two major reforms. Borrowing from NASCAR, they propose that team owners should not own sports leagues as well. Rather, league ownership should be separate. Their second proposal is drawn from soccer: introduce competition through a promotion and relegation system. In this type of system, the worst teams in the league are kicked out at the end of the season and replaced by the best performing teams in the next division down. This gives poor performing teams incentive to step up their game, and allows fresh blood to enter the leagues if the poor performers fail to do so. The main goal of these reforms is to align the financial interest of those who own the league with the best interests of the fans and the sport. Having laid out the problem and the solution, the authors skillfully address practical implications of introducing their scheme, suggesting how leagues might at least make some changes, if not all of those suggested. The time for change has come! Armed with this book, and with fairness on their side, fans can set forth to begin a revolution.




15 Sports Myths and Why They’re Wrong


Book Description

In 15 Sports Myths and Why They're Wrong, authors Rodney Fort and Jason Winfree apply sharp economic analysis to bust some of the most widespread urban legends about college and professional athletics. Each chapter takes apart a common misconception, showing how the assumptions behind it fail to add up. Fort and Winfree reveal how these myths perpetuate themselves and, ultimately, how they serve a handful of powerful parties—such as franchise owners, reporters, and players—at the expense of the larger community of sports fans. From the idea that team owners and managers are inept to the notion that revenue-generating college sports pay for athletics that don't attract fans (and their cash), 15 Sports Myths and Why They're Wrong strips down pervasive accounts of how our favorite games function, allowing us to look at them in a new, more informed way. Fort and Winfree argue that substituting the intuitive appeal of emotionally charged myths with rigorous, informed explanations weakens the power of these tall tales and their tight hold on the sports we love. Readers will emerge with a clearer picture of the forces at work within the sports world and a better understanding of why these myths matter—and are worthy of a takedown.




Stumbling on Wins


Book Description

Don't they want to win? Every sports fan asks that question. And no wonder! Teams have an immense amount of detailed, quantifiable information to draw upon. They have powerful incentives for making good decisions. Everyone sees the results of their choices, and the consequences for failure are severe. And yet, they keep making the same mistakes over and over again - mistakes you'd think they'd learn how to avoid! Now, two leading sports economists reveal those mistakes in basketball, baseball, football, and hockey - and explain why sports decision-makers never seem to learn their lessons. You'll learn which statistics are linked to wins and which aren't and which statistics can predict the future and which can't (information that just might help you dominate your next fantasy league!) ... this book offers powerful new insights into all human decision-making.




Winning


Book Description

"From the elite performance coach for Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, and many others-and the author of the powerful bestseller Relentless-a no-holds-barred formula for winning that is ideal for business people, athletes, and anybody wanting to achieve success. In Relentless, Tim Grover showed that you need to be tough and ruthless-toward others and yourself-to achieve your goals. Now, in Winning he takes that skill repertoire to an even higher level, demonstrating why he is one of the world's most sought-after mindset experts. Based on three decades of work with elite competitors like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade, Winning challenges you to destroy every obstacle in your path, even if, at the moment of greatest triumph, it may be all taken away. Whether you're an athlete striving to win, an entrepreneur building a business, a CEO managing an empire, a salesperson looking to close a deal, or a high achiever determined to stand in the winner's circle, Winning offers thirteen key principles for ramping up your performance to the maximum. If you're addicted to the taste of success and crave more, then you're ready for the results-driven performance formula found here. And if you're already winning and want to learn how to execute excellence repeatedly-so you can own not just this moment, but the next, and the next-then Winning is for you"--