ABSTRACT

Since the first athletic events found a fan base, sports and statistics have always maintained a tight and at times mythical relationship. As a way to relay the telling of a game's drama and attest to the prodigious powers of the heroes involved, those reporting on the games tallied up the numbers that they believe best described the action and bes

chapter 1|6 pages

Introduction

ByJim Albert, Ruud H. Koning

chapter 2|26 pages

Modelling the development of world records in running

ByGerard H. Kuper, Elmer Sterken

chapter 3|30 pages

The physics and evolution of Olympic winning performances

ByRay Stefani

chapter 4|14 pages

Competitive balance in national European soccer competitions

ByMarco Haan, Ruud H. Koning, Arjen van Witteloostuijn

chapter 5|14 pages

Statistical analysis of the effectiveness of the FIFA World Rankings

ByIan McHale, Stephen Davies

chapter 7|24 pages

Hitting in the pinch

ByJim Albert

chapter 8|18 pages

Does momentum exist in a baseball game?

ByRebecca J. Sela, Jeffrey S. Simonoff

chapter 9|14 pages

Inference about batter-pitcher matchups in baseball from small samples

ByHal S. Stern, Adam Sugano

chapter 10|12 pages

Outcome uncertainty measures: how closely do they predict a close game?

ByBabatunde Buraimo, David Forrest, Robert Simmons

chapter 12|14 pages

Measurement and interpretation of home advantage

ByRay Stefani

chapter 13|24 pages

Myths in Tennis

ByJan Magnus, Franc Klaassen

chapter 14|22 pages

Back to back evaluations on the gridiron

ByDavid J. Berri

chapter 15|14 pages

Optimal drafting in hockey pools

ByAmy E. Summers, Tim B. Swartz, Richard A. Lockhart