Sports Geek: A Visual Tour of Myths, Debates, and Data

by Rob Minto

Overview

Sports revolve around two things: narrative and numbers. You need the narrative, otherwise why would anyone care? Rivalries, emotions, and sports legends all require it. But you also need numbers. Without them, there is no way to know who has won; numbers tell you which team is top of the table, or who is the world champion.

Sports Geek offers a tour through sports debates and ideas that is both narrative and numerical. Teams in all sports use data to create extraordinary analyses of how their players perform, to assess tactics and to get an edge over arch rivals; but fans of a sport are rarely presented with challenging and informative data that would help them to further understand it.

In Sports Geek Rob Minto brings together an encyclopedic knowledge and love of sports, a rigorous understanding of statistics, and access to cutting edge quantitative analysis and difficult-to-uncover data. He is also a storyteller. Though written with an expert's knowledge, there's nothing academic about Sports Geek; it is packed with captivating anecdotes--success stories and failures, anomalies and surprises--that show why the numbers are so important.

Covering almost every imaginable sport, Sports Geek has international appeal; it embraces our global enthusiasm for competitive sports. Accessible, colorful, and filled with fascinating infographics, Sports Geek will arm sports fans with the information they need to have the edge in any debate.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632866479
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	10/25/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	36 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Rob Minto worked as a journalist for the Financial Times for 10 years. In 2006 he became the paper's first Interactive Editor. He has also been Technology Correspondent, and most recently Emerging Markets Assistant Editor, as well as writing occasional features and columns.

Rob has been obsessed with sports and statistics for many years. He can also design, write code, and crunch data using strange programs.

He has four children and lives in London.

@robminto
Rob Minto is a journalist who has worked at the Financial Times for 10 years. In 2006 he became the paper's first Interactive Editor. He has also been Technology Correspondent, and most recently Emerging Markets Assistant Editor, as well as writing occasional features and columns.

Rob has been obsessed about sport and statistics for many years. He is a journalist who can also design, write code, and crunch data using strange programmes.

He has four children and lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

"This revealing read raises a lot of key points to consider in the world of sport." - How It Works

"For an alternative explanation of the special appeal of sport try Sports Geek by Rob Minto which in words, statistics, and pictures explains what it is about sport that will provoke endless arguments in the coming year." - Philosophy Football

"Have you ever wondered why the quality of snooker is so much better now than it was in its Eighties heyday? Or who is, statistically, the greatest ever pound-for-pound boxer? Of course you have. This compilation of sport stats and data has all the answers and much, much more." - British GQ

From the Publisher