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The Wages of Wins: Taking Measure of the Many Myths in Modern Sport (Stanford Business Books) | 
 enlarge | Authors: David Berri, Martin Schmidt, Stacey Brook
Publisher: Stanford Business Books
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $12.80
You Save: $7.15 (36%)
New (20) Used (11) from $11.96
Avg. Customer Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 333508
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6 x 0.8
ISBN: 0804758441
Dewey Decimal Number: 338.437960440973
EAN: 9780804758444
ASIN: 0804758441
Publication Date: September 7, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Arguing about sports is as old as the games people play. Over the years sports debates have become muddled by many myths that do not match the numbers generated by those playing the games. In The Wages of Wins, the authors use layman's language and easy to follow examples based on their own academic research to debunk many of the most commonly held beliefs about sports.
In this updated version of their book, these authors explain why Allen Iverson leaving Philadelphia made the 76ers a better team, why the Yankees find it so hard to repeat their success from the late 1990s, and why even great quarterbacks like Brett Favre are consistently inconsistent. The book names names, and makes it abundantly clear that much of the decision making of coaches and general managers does not hold up to an analysis of the numbers. Whether you are a fantasy league fanatic or a casual weekend fan, much of what you believe about sports will change after reading this book.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 Great intro to the analysis of sports based on analytics. November 16, 2007
WoW is a great introduction to thinking more critically about sports and how we define "the best".
 Great Topics, Good Value March 18, 2007
"Who's the best of all-time?" "Who's better than Tom Brady?!" "Kobe is MVP!" When the conversations turn to sports, those types of questions always linger and don't leave my head for a while after a intense discussion...Then again, maybe, my ears are just ringing too hard.
Yet, these authors take a start at answering the myths and bombastic statements that surround sports and people's love and affinities for teams and athletes.
Like "Moneyball" proved, people tend to form their opinions from their own experiences in life, and they refuse to look at statistical evidence to support their theories. Yet, these authors utilize stats to show the holes in the myths such as why payroll and wins are highly coorelated, why quarterbacks should be judged by their Super Bowl rings, or why you can't give a true statistical value to basketball players and teams. The authors give solid evidence to support theories such as when the law of diminishing returns really does enter the picture in terms of productivity, why points are overvalued and why Kevin Garnett is the best player in the NBA, and just how valuable a NFL QB really is.
I still believe in the heart of an athlete and the role that a person has within a team. And, I found that the book doesn't give full due to the values of team chemistry, the effects of injuries, or how much value a role player like Manu Ginobili or Ron Harper can derive from other players on their team. However, the book not only makes a solid effort at answering the myths of sport, but I also realized how bizarre the statements and hype delivered by sports blowhards on TV and Talk Radio really are. That's why I give a thumbs-up to this read. The authors put substance behind the bizarre statements made by blow-hards and so-called experts.
Pick this up, and you'll be surprised at how far you'll be in front of the pack. That's a strong value.
A Very Unique And Entertaining Book February 10, 2007
If you want an example of taking a unique look at a topic in a way that wins the reader, you have one in "The Wages of Wins".
David J. Berri, Martin B. Schmidt, and Stacey L. Brook did an excellent job of both stating why they disagree with conventional wisdom on several points, and what competitive balance is and how to decide which athletes are the best.
This book does deal with statistics and analysis that many would find boring. The trio of authors did a good job of making it relatively easy to follow. Also, they interject a lot of humor to it, making it even more pleasant to read.
 good ideas, not great book December 18, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
very interesting and insightful analysis but unfortunately authors take a cutesy approach to presentation and it falls flat on its face. i believe they think they are taking a freakonomics-like approach but it falls very short of that level of prose as well as economic importance.
bottom line though is the analysis is really interesting - you just have to put up with the writing to get to it.
Good ideas, bad presentation November 30, 2006
I bought this book after reading the authors blog for a while, and was a bit dissapointed. While they have some interesting ideas, I didn't find their arguments nearly as convincing as they seem to think they are. My big problem was the writing style, the authors repeat themselves often, and the book is full of paragraphs listing off numbers and stats that are in a chart right next to the paragraph.
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