Book

Moskowitz, Tobias J. (Tobias Jacob), 1971-

Scorecasting : the hidden influences behind how sports are played and games are won / Tobias Moskowitz and L. Jon Wertheim.

1st ed.

New York : Crown Archetype, ©2011.

278 pages ; 25 cm

University of Chicago behavioral economist Tobias Moskowitz teams up with veteran sportswriter L. Jon Wertheim to overturn some of the most cherished truisms of sports, and reveal the hidden forces that shape how basketball, baseball, football, and hockey games are played, won and lost. Drawing from Moskowitz's original research, as well as studies from fellow economists such as Richard Thaler, the authors look at: the influence home-field advantage has on the outcomes of games in all sports, and why it exists; the surprising truth about the universally accepted axiom that defense wins championships; the subtle biases that umpires exhibit in calling balls and strikes in key situations; the unintended consequences of referees' tendencies in every sport to "swallow the whistle," and more.--From publisher description.

Sports -- Miscellanea.

Sports -- Problems, exercises, etc.

Trivia and miscellanea.

Problems and exercises.

Wertheim, L. Jon.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 261-269) and index.

Whistle swallowing : why fans and leagues want officials to miss calls -- Go for it : why coaches make decisions that reduce their team's chances of winning -- How competitive are competitive sports? : Why are the Pittsburgh Steelers so successful and the Pittsburgh Pirates so unsuccessful? -- Tiger Woods is human (and not for the reason you think) : how Tiger Woods is just like the rest of us, even when it comes to playing golf -- Offense wins championships, too : is defense really more important than offense? -- The value of a blocked shot : why Dwight Howard's 232 blocked shots are worth less than Tim Duncan's 149 -- Rounding first : why .299 hitters are so much more rare (and maybe more valuable) than .300 hitters -- Thanks, Mr. Rooney : why black NFL coaches are doing worse than ever--and why this is a good thing -- Comforts of home : how do conventional explanations for the home field advantage stack up? -- So, what is driving the home field advantage? : Hint: vocal fans matter, but not in the way you might think -- There's no I in team : but there is an m and an e -- Off the chart : how Mike McCoy came to dominate the NFL draft -- How a coin toss trumps all : why American Idol is a fairer contest than an NFL overtime -- What isn't in the Mitchell Report? : Why Dominican baseball players are more likely to use steroids--and American players are more likely to smoke weed -- Do athletes really melt when iced? : Does calling a time-out before a play actually work? -- The myth of the hot hand : do players and teams ride the wave of momentum? Or are we (and they) fooled into thinking they do? -- Damned statistics : why "four out of his last five" almost surely means four of six -- Are the Chicago Cubs cursed? : lf not, then why are the Cubs so futile?

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