Sports Econ Stats of the Day

Ran across two short papers from economists at Middlebury College. While they both suffer from not using all the easily available sports data that's out there, they're still worth a note:

When Do Quarterbacks Reach Their Prime?

Looking at QB ratings during the 1995 and 2005 seasons, this paper argues that the typical quarterback comes to a boil around the age of 31:

The leading quarterbacks in the NFL in 2005 ranged in age from 22 (K. Orton of the Chicago Bears) to 36 (B. Johnson of the Minnesota Vikings). The range was slightly wider ten years earlier (K. Collins of the Carolina Panthers at 22 and W. Moon of the Minnesota Vikings at 38). If 22 is "too young" and 38 is "too old", at what age do quarterbacks reach their prime? The evidence presented here for two cohorts (1995 and 2005) suggests that the prime age for NFL quarterbacks is remarkably stable at about 31 years of age, despite the increased emphasis in recent years on off-season training and conditioning, not to mention the improvements in sports medicine and physical therapy.

The New Ball Debacle

At the beginning of the 2006-07 season, the N.B.A. introduced a new synthetic basketball which was then roundly criticized by players. In the end, commissioner David Stern reinstated the use of the old leather balls after two months and had to issue an apology. But did the synthetic ball really change game play? This paper concludes yes:

When at the beginning of the 2006-07 season the NBA decided to use a new synthetic composite basketball in place of the traditional leather one, players voiced their disapproval. They noted that the new ball did not absorb perspiration from the player's hands as well as the leather ball did. Moisture therefore accumulated on the surface of the new ball making it extremely slick and thus difficult to handle. Some players claimed that the synthetic material actually cut their hands. Others noted that the new ball bounced differently than the old one.

Statistical comparisons between the beginning of the 2005-06 season (prior to January 1, 2006) when the traditional leather ball was used and the beginning of the 2006-07 season (prior to January 1, 2007) when the new composite ball was used reveal discernible differences in the average number of turnovers per game. Turnovers increased by almost one per game, the clearest manifestation why players' response to the new composite ball was overwhelmingly negative.