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The Oxford Anthology of Statistics in Sports, Volume 1: 2000-2004
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Publication Date:
2018
Number of Pages:
551
Format:
Paperback
Price:
45.95
ISBN:
9780198724926
Category:
Anthology
[Reviewed by , on ]
Brent Kelderman
12/16/2018
The Oxford Anthology of Statistics in Sports (Volume 1: 2000–2004) is a collection of thirty-seven different publications that cover various sports topics. Each sport discussed is given its own part of the book, including an introduction with rules of play and other information needed for the reader to understand the articles that follow without having to worry about the minutia of the sport being discussed. The book is broken down into parts as follows: Baseball, Olympics/Track & Field, American Football, Cricket, Golf, Soccer, Other Sports, and Miscellaneous Topics. Credit must be given to the editors in their work for compiling such an anthology of literature about statistics in sports with this organizational system that makes this book a joy to read.
The introduction to each part of the book is a major highlight, being written by an expert in the field of statistics of the specific sport, giving the reader a frame of reference for the discussion of the sport that follows in the articles. Each introduction gives sufficient detail and information about the sport in a manner that it is well balanced for readers of all levels of prior knowledge of the sport. This collection is written in such a way that it is not necessary to read it in a linear fashion: the reader can easily skip over different chapters without causing a gap in understanding, making it a helpful aide for finding relevant statistics examples. American society seems to have had an increase in knowledge and use of statistics within the world of sports, spanning from the movie Moneyball to an increase in the discussion regarding the BCS in college football. As a result, this anthology is becoming ever more relevant to understanding the statistics in sports that we see today.
Though this book is very useful and interesting in its discussion of the topic, a word of warning to any potential reader: the articles do, at times, delve into some higher level statistics. That being said, the discussions of the statistics provided help the reader understand the analysis and usefulness of such statistics without fully requiring the reader to understand every step of the calculations performed.
This book would be a useful addition to any library of statistical literature to have at hand for both personal enjoyment and also for supplementing discussions in a classroom setting. Though the level of statistics varies, it would probably be best served in application of a graduate level student, though could be used to help encourage and challenge a determined undergraduate student.
Brent Kelderman is a high school math teacher at Millard West High School and an adjunct mathematics professor at Grace University in Omaha, Nebraska.
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