I love economics and I love sports. I love when economic principles are used to view sports in a new light. This is why I loved reading Moneyball even though I HATE baseball. I found it fascinating to see the application of the concepts of competitive advantage and market inefficiencies to the lamest sport in the world. It is for these same reasons I have been fascinated by the debate surrounding the latest offering of economics and sports - Wages of Wins. While I don't necessarily agree with the methods used by Dave Berri to arrive at his conclusions (his bias of playing the game the "right" way drives me nuts. I bet he has a life-sized poster of Larry Brown giving Red Auerbach a smooch above his bed and may or may not be suffering from vision loss), I do appreciate the way he challenges the established methods currently employed to assess the "worth" of NBA players.
The geniuses at freedarko.com published a must-read analysis of the book today. I highly recommend reading it to get a solid overview of what Wages of Wins is all about as well as a solid critique of the associated conclusions. Also, for a different perspective, check out Malcolm Gladwell's blog to read his article published in the New Yorker regarding The Wages of Wins.
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I was reading your page at the office and burst out laughing at the masterbation joke. Great blog. I keep hearing good things about Moneyball but it was nice to hear someone honestly point out some of the weaknesses too. Imainary high five...nice!
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