A review by adnielsen
Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won by L. Jon Wertheim, Tobias J. Moskowitz

5.0

Scorecasting is a very entertaining and non-intimidating introduction to sports analytics and common misconceptions fans often have. There is little to no math presented, so it’s certainly accessible to the less quantitatively inclined readers. I loved how they presented some common misconceptions fans ascribe too and then they do their best to show why the data suggests they’ve been fooled. The “hot hand” doesn’t seem to exist in sports despite sports commentators endlessly suggesting otherwise. Home field advantage is mostly a function of unconscious bias by referees. These are two such examples given in the book. Overall, the book is fascinating and presented so that any sports fan should follow their arguments. This is one of the best popular sports analytics books I’ve read, up there with Moneyball.