A review by bethanymiller415
Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won by L. Jon Wertheim, Tobias Moskowitz

3.0

The subtitle of Scorecasting- the hidden influences behind how sports are played and games are won – sums up accurately what the book is all about. The authors, one a sports writer and the other a professor of finance, examine various aspects of sports from an economics perspective. They use research and statistical analysis to debunk conventional sports wisdom. In one chapter, they make the case that football coaches should always go for it on fourth down. In another, they show that the idea of the “hot hand” or momentum in sports is mostly a myth. They also set out to answer some seemingly unanswerable questions such as are the Chicago Cubs really cursed? Throughout the book, they show how their findings with regard to sports can also be applied to other aspects of life.

This book has been compared to Fereakonomics by many people (including the author of Freakonomics according to the cover of the book), and the comparisons are definitely warranted. The focus on sports, however, makes Scorecasting unique and will definitely extend its appeal to readers who enjoy sports writing. Readers who are not “numbers people” may occasionally feel a bit overwhelmed by the data and statistics, but for the most part it is very readable and will hold the attention of those who are interested in looking at sports in a whole new way.