I’ve always been a fan of books in the vein of Freakonomics and The Wages of Wins, so it came as no surprise that I enjoyed Tobias J. Moskowitz and L. Jon Wertheim’s new book, Scorecasting. Moskowitz, a finance professor, and Wertheim, an author and Sports Illustrated scribe, reveal “the hidden influences behind how sports are played and games are won”. Within its pages the authors use simple charts and data to show a side of sports you’ve never seen or considered before. And after reading this book, you won’t be able to watch your favourite sport quite the same way as before.
While the authors touch on pretty much every popular sport in the book, for hoops fans there are a few chapters that will be of the most interest. A large chunk of the book is devoted to referees and home court advantage, which you should be warned about in advance – it just might ruin watching sports for you. There’s also chapters showing data on how all blocked shots aren’t created equal, on how there really is an “i” in team and why offense, not just defense, wins championships too.
If you are a “traditionalist” and closed-minded, this book might not be for you, because it is all about challenging conventional wisdom. But if you are ready and willing to expand your mind, Scorecasting will do the trick.
But it here:
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