Statistical Reasoning in Sports

Name: Statistical Reasoning in Sports
Author: Josh Tabor; Chris Franklin

First Edition©2012 Josh Tabor; Chris Franklin

About

Gain a better understanding of the principles of statistical reasoning through a different perspective--sports. Statistical Reasoning in Sports lets you ask questions, collect and analyze data, and draw conclusions using randomization tests for questions such as, "Is it harder to shoot free throws with distractions?" Questions like these are evaluated by designing an experiment, collecting the data, and using a hands-on simulation to analyze results, giving you a more interactive approach to learning statistics.

Each chapter has an opening question that will be answered over the course of the chapter as the students develop the tools that allow them to engage in statistics using a hands-on approach.

Chapter 1: Exploring Categorical Data
Did LeBron James Choke in the Playoffs?

Chapter 2: Comparing Two Proportions
Is There a Home Field Advantage in the National Football League?

Chapter 3: Investigating Independence
Does the Hot Hand Exist in Sports?

Chapter 4: Exploring Numerical Data
Does the Designated Hitter Increase Offense in Major League Baseball?

Chapter 5: Comparing Two Means or Two Medians
Does the Designated Hitter Increase Offense in Major League Baseball (Revisited)?

Chapter 6: Exploring Paired Data
Can Polyurethane Suits Make You Swim Faster?

Chapter 7: Exploring Measures of Variability
Which 7-Iron is More Consistent?

Chapter 8: Standardized Scores and Normal Distributions
Which Players Should I Draft for My Fantasy Team?

Chapter 9: Estimating Ability with Confidence Intervals
What is LeBron’s True Ability?

Chapter 10: Exploring Relationships Between Numerical Variables
Teeing Off: Hit It Hard or Hit It Straight?

Chapter 11: Using Relationships to Make Predictions
How Can We Build a Better Baseball Team?

Chapter 12: Multiple Regression
Hit it Long or Hit it Straight? Why Not Both?

Chapter 13: Using Non-Linear Models: Exponential, Quadratic, and Logistic Regression

Will She Make the Shot?

Chapter 14: Exploring Counting Rules and Probability
How Crazy Was Billy Martin?

Chapter 15: Conditional Probability, Expected Value, and Strategy in Sports
Should You Go For It on Fourth Down?

Authors

Josh Tabor

Josh Tabor has enjoyed teaching on-level and AP® Statistics to high school students for more than 26 years, most recently at The Potter’s School. He received a BS in Mathematics from Biola University, in La Mirada, California. In recognition of his outstanding work as an educator, Josh was named one of the five finalists for Arizona Teacher of the Year in 2011. He is a past member of the AP® Statistics Development Committee (2005–2009) as well as an experienced Reader, Table Leader, Question Leader, and Exam Leader at the AP® Statistics Reading since 1999. In 2013, Josh was named to the SAT® Mathematics Development Committee. Each year, Josh leads one-week AP® Summer Institutes and one-day College Board workshops around the country and frequently speaks at local, national, and international conferences. In addition to teaching and speaking, Josh has authored articles in The American Statistician, The Mathematics Teacher, STATS Magazine, and The Journal of Statistics Education. Combining his love of statistics and love of sports, Josh teamed with Christine Franklin to write Statistical Reasoning in Sports, an innovative textbook for on-level statistics courses. Josh is also coauthor of the popular on-level text - Statistics and Probability with Applications (now in its fifth edition) and the new college text Introductory Statistics: A Student-Centered Approach. Outside of work, Josh enjoys gardening, traveling, and playing board games with his family.

Chris Franklin

Christine (Chris) Franklin is the K–12 Statistics Ambassador for the American Statistical Association and an elected ASA Fellow. Now retired from the University of Georgia as the Lothar Tresp Honoratus Honors Professor and Senior Lecturer Emerita in Statistics, she is also the coauthor of an Introductory Statistics textbook published with Pearson and has published more than 60 journal articles and book chapters. Chris was the lead writer for the groundbreaking document of the American Statistical Association Pre-K–12 Guidelines for the Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) Framework and chaired the writing team of the ASA Statistical Education of Teachers (SET) report. She is a past Chief Reader for Advanced Placement® Statistics, a Fulbright scholar to New Zealand (2015), recipient of the United States Conference on Teaching Statistics (USCOTS) Lifetime Achievement Award and the prestigious ASA Founder’s Award, and is an elected member of the International Statistical Institute (ISI). Chris loves being with her family, running, hiking, scoring baseball games, and reading mysteries.