It's generally baseball guys who run these organizations. Now each team has an analytics group in house (I think that can be said for any sport). The problem I believe is the sports guys forcing a viewpoint and the analytics guys, not having the power to push back, go along with it to prove an incorrect/uneducated viewpoint the baseball guy with power came up with or overheard from their counterparts. Just think of it. You'd never have a stats nerd run things in the corporate world. Those are the guys kept in the back while the schmoozers get the promotions face time with the higher ups. How can any of the stats guys push back on the guy with the power imbalance when he has ownerships ear, and he's also played the game. So you get a flawed hypothesis from the top (in this case defence wins, period), and the stats guys drum up the lists of best players with the best d stats. I bet the little guy putting the analysis knows it's flawed but just wants to keep his job and knows the five minutes of face time a year he gets with Atkins has to be meaningful. It's just how these things work. Pro sports is now no different than yours and my experience in the office.
|