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Getting
Started
As sports evolve in the twenty-first century,
wins and losses are no longer decided just
by the athletic ability of the players. So
what is the edge that teams seek? In a new,
computer-driven age, it’s the numbers.
The science of sports analytics is revolutionizing the games
people watch and play.
Of course, coaching matters, and having players with great
natural ability further enhances the team’s ability to win. So
many players, however, are gifted, and so many teams have good
coaches. At the highest levels, teams are so evenly matched that
even a tiny advantage can make a huge difference.
In Major League Baseball, for example, it is pretty much
accepted that every team will win at least 62 games and every
team will lose 62 games. (It is rare for a team to win more than
100 games or lose more than 100 games in the 162-game season.)
What happens in those other 38 games is what puts a team in
15
CHAPTER
1
G
etting
S
tarted