Blog: We got it backwards

What if I told you that with all of the data, research, and technology in sports today, David Epstein – author of Range and The Sports Gene – thinks we got it all backwards?

In the documentary In Search of Greatness, Epstein spoke about the recent push across sports to build data driven organizations:

“I love data, but I think there are cases in which we become too slavish too. There’s this almost desire to validate everything by data and it’s backwards. It’s making something important because we can measure it, it’s not measuring it because it’s important.”

Let me repeat that last part: “It’s making something important because we can measure it, it’s not measuring it because it’s important.”

This is exactly why the first chapter of Old School vs. New School: The Application of Data & Technology into Baseballis titled “We Got it Backwards.” Just think about it. How many of you have read the research or listened to the doctors that said:

• Throwers who lack internal rotation on their throwing shoulder (GIRD) are more susceptible to injury
• Using bat weights in the on deck circle makes you worse
• The arm recoil is an indicator of poor decelerator strength

So why do healthy arms present with GIRD, elite MLB hitters warm up with bat weights, and guys who recoil throw fuel?

If you’ve been lost searching for truth and trying to make sense of all the information and misinformation out there, we understand how you feel. Old School vs. New School was written for you.

Data and technology is going to be critical to push our game to new levels, but in the words of Epstein: We must not become slavish to it. It’s why at 108 Performance, we’re not “data driven.” We’re data influenced, results driven.