Revenge of the Nerds

Perhaps Moneyball and Billy Beane’s Oakland A’s are to blame, but pro sport’s fascination with statistics is underlined by the franchises taking notes at a special stat conference in Boston

Why is the size of an NFL quarterback’s hands more vital to some teams than others? What is “The Dwight Effect” and why is it important in the NBA? Why is putting in effort to measure the relative values of Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi not a worthwhile exercise for professional soccer teams?

These were questions posed, discussed and answered at the 2013 Sloan Sports Analytics Conference last month in the enormous Boston Convention Center.