The Wages of Wins

The Wages of Wins: Taking Measure of the Many Myths in Modern Sport

David Berri, Martin Schmidt, and Stacey Brook

Arguing about sports is as old as the games people play. Over the years sports debates have become muddled by many myths that do not match the numbers generated by those playing the games. In The Wages of Wins, the authors use layman’s language and easy to follow examples based on their own academic research to debunk many of the most commonly held beliefs about sports.

In this updated version of their book, these authors explain why Allen Iverson leaving Philadelphia made the 76ers a better team, why the Yankees find it so hard to repeat their success from the late 1990s, and why even great quarterbacks like Brett Favre are consistently inconsistent. The book names names, and makes it abundantly clear that much of the decision making of coaches and general managers does not hold up to an analysis of the numbers. Whether you are a fantasy league fanatic or a casual weekend fan, much of what you believe about sports will change after reading this book.

“When I read the book, I was impressed by the amount of effort that went into compiling the reams of data that underlie the work….The fundamental case the authors make is that the statistical analysis shows that the conventional wisdom about sports is dead wrong―that the data, as they put it, ‘offers many surprises.'”

Joe Nocera
New York Times

“This book presents complex economic analysis in a breezy manner that the casual sports fan and econophobe will appreciate and enjoy. I plan to assign it to students and recommend it to friends.”

Michael Leeds
Temple University, and author of The Economics of Sports

“The Wages of Wins brilliantly and provocatively argues that our eyes betray us when we watch professional athletes. To see the truth about how good a point guard or a quarterback really is, we need the help of algorithms.”

Malcolm Gladwell
Author of Blink and The Tipping Point

“Wages is provocative, stimulating, and challenging.”

Dick Friedman
Sports Illustrated

“Sports fans with an analytical bent shouldn’t skip this book. And come to think of it, perhaps sports executives should be reading it as well.”

The Free Lance-Star