Thank you for the much needed additional context. I used to produce performance statistics for an insurance company. People's annual bonuses were largely based on my numbers. Yes, the metrics were useful to have, but they also contained obvious flaws, which I repeatedly pointed out to management. And you can bet the employees being evaluated would give me an earful about everything wrong with the measurements. Trying to find a balance between having data (so that you're not operating blindly) and using it properly is always a problem. Whenever I released a new batch of statistics, I always prefaced the post by saying my numbers were the starting point for a discussion, not the whole discussion.
The other thing I would point out about holistic sports statistics is that the vast majority of people who love to quote them have never looked at the calculations. The computation process is hugely complicated, and way beyond the comprehension of most sportswriters. So, people are often arguing vehemently based on numbers they barely understand.
Thank you for the much needed additional context. I used to produce performance statistics for an insurance company. People's annual bonuses were largely based on my numbers. Yes, the metrics were useful to have, but they also contained obvious flaws, which I repeatedly pointed out to management. And you can bet the employees being evaluated would give me an earful about everything wrong with the measurements. Trying to find a balance between having data (so that you're not operating blindly) and using it properly is always a problem. Whenever I released a new batch of statistics, I always prefaced the post by saying my numbers were the starting point for a discussion, not the whole discussion.
The other thing I would point out about holistic sports statistics is that the vast majority of people who love to quote them have never looked at the calculations. The computation process is hugely complicated, and way beyond the comprehension of most sportswriters. So, people are often arguing vehemently based on numbers they barely understand.