Lab 7: Multiple Regression with Sportsball

STAT 20: Introduction to Probability and Statistics

Sabermetrics

Coined by Bill James in 1980, sabermetrics is

“the search for objective knowledge about baseball.”

History of Sabermetrics

• Henry Chadwick, a NY sportswriter, developed the box score in 1958
• “Percentage Baseball” by Earnshaw Cook in 1964
• The Bill James Baseball Abstract, annual book beginning in 1977
• Moneyball

More Generally, Sports Analytics

More Generally, Sports Analytics

• Specific metrics such as
  • Baseball: On-base percentage is the percentage of times a player reaches base on either a hit, walk, or by being hit by a pitch.
  • Football: DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), which compares a player’s success on each play to the league average based on a number of variables including down, distance, location on field, current score gap, quarter, and strength of opponent.
  • Soccer: Ball possession as the percent of the time that each team has the ball.

Choose Your Sport

Lab Work Time

25:00