Quote:
Originally Posted by TheWatchGuy
im on the other side of this. Analytics has brought us a lot of great things recently. Plays that were thought too high risk in the past, have now shown to also have a high reward that makes that risk worth it.
For football, going for it on 4th, going for 2, more passing, etc. has led to more offense and more scoring, which is always fun.
Basketball, more 3 pointers and driving to the paint. Baseball, more homeruns and scoring.
The thing that is getting old in sports for me is the ticky tack fouls. And the flopping. Basketball is almost unwatchable due to the excessive fouling and guys more willing to flop than play through the foul. Its why olympic basketball was more fun imo.
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Yeah the flopping and foul calling is a BIG problem. And now the addition of challenges in the NBA is REALLY slowing the game down.
For me more 3 pointers isn't exciting. I feel like the game was more dynamic in the past where roles were much more clear cut. We're seeing a homogenization taking place in the NBA where roles are blurred. You still have variation in talent level, but slowly every position's game is becoming the same - shoot 3's or shoot close to the basket.
One of the most exciting things to see (for me at least) is when 2 superstars are going at it in the heat of a game, trading baskets, one-upping each other. But analytics removes that scenario unless it happens within the construct of efficiency - which it typically does not. Does it still happen to some extent? sure, but analytics is quickly eroding that as well.
It's the randomness that generates excitement. Think about this at the most elemental level possible - I don't know if this shot is going to go in or not. That uncertainty generates anticipation for the result and ultimately excitement. In theory, analytics attempts to remove the uncertainty by optimizing the path towards the result (the result being a made basket worth the most points).
It turns the game from an emotional, physical exhibition of competition into a clinical exercise of mathematics.