Nerd Alert!

As fans of sport, we all like stats.  We enjoy seeing how our team is doing in the standings.  We like to see how many points our favorite player scored in the last game or how close a player will be to batting .400.  To be a fan of sports is to crave stats, at least on some level.  It keeps it all organized.  It allows for arguments over who the greatest player was or which team is the greatest of all time.  Home runs, strikeouts, points per game, triple doubles, touchdowns and interceptions are examples of "fan friendly" stats.  They are the ones that make the highlights.  Check out the videos...full of "fan friendly" stats.  

Yet, recently the media has been harping on how professional teams are using advanced statistical analysis to show who is the better player or help decide who should be resigned or let go.  I am all for teams improving their player tracking.  This could ensure that we get quality players in their prime, instead of overpaying past their prime players based on their name.  These new metrics that teams are using and, for the most part, keeping a secret are good for the overall game.  Anything that cuts down on the potential for human error is a plus when it comes to analysis.  

On the other hand, how can fans get excited about these stats?  Stories about these new stats keep popping up as a great new tool for teams to use.  The Sports Illustrated article (linked above) talks about how in baseball, "There will be...a day when a player's plus/minus carries as much weight in a Rotisserie league as his offensive statistics".  And that may be a true statement...someday.  I have to believe that these statistics are going to appeal to a very small group of fans.  The fans who are in serious fantasy leagues are going to really get into these stats.  And they should.  The stats are interesting...to them.  The majority of fans are still going to follow the "fan friendly" stats and that is it.  Those stats are very measurable and give them instant gratification.  A game winning home run is much more easily viewed than the events that set it up.  That home run, and events like it, are what draw most people to the games.

Another issue I have with this new system is the holier-than-thou impression that I am getting from everything that I read and listen to.  It seems to me, that the people who are developing, deploying, and are excited about this strategy feel that they are in an exclusive fraternity.  True, they are some of the cutting edge developers of these stat metrics but, don't write and talk like these are the last pieces of the puzzle.  These stats, added to the other stats, are not going to make every personnel decision the absolute correct one.  So don't act like they are.  They are an improvement...not the end all be all of player judgement.  Plus, they will never be able to judge what a player has in him.  How would the new stats have measured players like Jerry Rice or Scottie Pippen?  Would they even have been given a shot?  Or would the new stats have eliminated them from getting a chance?  Some will argue that those types of players will be noticed more often when all the stats are factored in.  It just seems nearly impossible to get player evaluation into a perfect little box.

Again, it is great that teams are developing new ways to grade players.  Hopefully this new way of evaluation will improve every professional sports league.  While it's good that this idea continues to get increased media coverage, let's just make sure we keep it in perspective and view it for what it really is...a supplement to the current system.