Statistics aren't the full story

Humans often overestimate our ability to quantify things accurately. We believe that we can break things down into measurable bite-sized statistics that make up the big picture. We put a lot of emphasis on the things we can measure because we are visual creatures. How can we think about, let alone focus on improving the things we can’t see or measure? But if we only look at the things we measure to target improvement, we will only get better at those things.

Do punches thrown come up in the stats sheets?

There’s so much that goes into winning that is difficult to measure. How do you quantify effort? How do you judge the impact of pulling up a teammate when he’s feeling down? How do you quantify someone who plays to the plan, or someone who leads the turning of momentum? These stats are not yet captured. But perhaps one day they will be. Maybe someday we’ll be able to quantify the subtlety of human movement or develop a way to capture someone's impact through teamplay. 

This is actually optimal running position

There’s also been a large increase in the amount that statistics is mentioned by commentators. People want more from their commentators and more from their sports. I believe this will come through sports being split into targeted audience streams. For those who want hype, watch the hype channel. For those who want detailed statistics and analysis, there’s a channel for you. There’s no real reason you shouldn’t be able to demand the service and the product you want.

I want all my commentators to use these microphones

Data analytics in sport is still in its infancy. It will become the biggest driving factor in how sports evolve. It starts with data capture and ends with decisions. As the data capture improves, so will our ability to make better strategic and mechanical decisions in sports.