Statistical Thinking in Sports

Covers statistical and econometric methodology along with a range of sporting applications. This book addresses topics such as ranking and performance measurement, measurement and interpretation of home advantage, measurement of interventions in sports, competitive balance, limits of sports, betting, and attendance of sporting events.

... For those with an interest in sports and statistics, this book is an interesting and sometimes enlightening read. As a baseball fan, I particularly enjoyed the related chapters on clutch hitting, in-game momentum, and batter-pitcher matchups. I would recommend this text to any statistician contemplating related future research. Toward this end, additional information, data, and appendixes for some chapters are available on the book's website. -Technometrics, February 2009, Vol. 51, No. 1 A serious effort by thoughtful statisticians in the area of sports not only contributes to the general area, but also offers a window to the world on the work of the professional statistician. As a more general audience becomes aware of the work of the statistician, it can only serve to bolster the reputation of our profession in general. ... All in all, I found the volume to be very enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone looking for an introduction to one of the subjects covered, as the introductions and bibliographies are generally quite good. ... this volume has something for everyone. -Gilbert W. Fellingham, Brigham Young University, The American Statistician, November 2008 ...an international collection of current research in statistics and sports...is full of interesting and useful examples to use when teaching statistics. -Susan Starkings, London South Bank University, International Statistical Review, 2008

Jim Albert, Ruud H. Koning