Debunking Sports Myths
Defense doesn’t win championships. Teamwork isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. Momentum is a myth […] Chicago Cubs aren’t cursed; they just stink…[and] punting on fourth down is largely a waste. No matter how many games in a row a team wins, the likelihood of success in the next at-bat or the next game is no different than it is when no hot streak exists. For this reason and a few others, the authors say, the basketball strategy of passing to a shooter on a hot streak is more often than not a loser. In the end, they determine, stunningly, that home-field advantage in virtually all sports is largely due to the bias of officials toward the home team. The authors attribute this not to a widespread conspiracy but to a common psychological trope: people want to be liked and to be confirmed in their judgments.
See review of Scorecasting in the New York Times by Bruce Weber.
Interesting, but what’s this got to do with health??
No such thing as getting on a hot streak? That’s hard to believe.
What can I say, Bruce. Sometimes the spirit moves me in other directions.
It’s interesting how sports analysts are now using statistical analysis to parse the data on sports teams, games and individual players the same way a financial analysts would parse data on stocks being traded in relation to financial statements disclosed to the SEC.
Looks like it would be a good book… if I liked sports.