“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 wrongthat the data as the put it, “offers many surprises.”Joe Nocera, The New York Times

“In The Wages of Wins, the authors attempt to puncture some popular mythssaying that payroll and wins are not highly correlated, and that in baseball, football….attendance hasnt been significantly affected by players strikes or owner lockouts.”Sue Kirchhoff, USA Today

“In The Wages of Wins, the economists David J. Berri, Martin B. Schmidt, and Stacey L. Brook set out to solve the Iverson problem. Weighing the relative value of fouls, rebounds, shots taken, turnovers, and the like, theyve created an algorithm that, they argue, comes closer than any previous statistical measure to capturing the true value of a basketball player. …Looking at the findings that Berri, Schmidt, and Brook present is enough to make one wonder what exactly basketball expertscoaches, managers, sportswritersknow about basketball.”Malcolm Gladwell, The New Yorker

“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 wrongthat the data as the put it, “offers many surprises.”Joe Nocera, The New York Times

“In The Wages of Wins, the authors attempt to puncture some popular mythssaying that payroll and wins are not highly correlated, and that in baseball, football….attendance hasnt been significantly affected by players strikes or owner lockouts.”Sue Kirchhoff, USA Today

“Wages is provocative, stimulating and challenging.”Sports Illustrated

The Wages of Wins is a proper analysis of the data generated by professional sports; it tells many tales that are inconsistent with the myths put forward by the media, industry, and consumers of professional sport.

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.

David J. Berri is Associate Professor of Economics at California State University, Bakersfield. Martin B. Schmidt is Associate Professor of Economics at the College of William and Mary. Stacey L. Brook is Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Sioux Falls.