Read on Twitter
Enjoyed last years' @threadapalooza.
As a former footballer
(soccer player) who quit to study economics 
, now turned hybrid rationalist
/ Popperian 
/ @RoamResearch-Roaman
...
I will do a 100-tweet thread on SPORT through my new lens.
(p.s. football = soccer)
As a former footballer
(soccer player) who quit to study economics , now turned hybrid rationalist / Popperian / @RoamResearch-Roaman...I will do a 100-tweet thread on SPORT through my new lens.
(p.s. football = soccer)
1. Throwing is one of the most underrated *human* traits.
We can throw faster, harder, further, and more accurately than any other species.
h/t @primalpoly
We can throw faster, harder, further, and more accurately than any other species.
h/t @primalpoly
2. Sport is primarily about signalling.
We play to impress.
Athletic ability honestly signals general toughness, speed, strength, skill, and hard work.
We play to impress.
Athletic ability honestly signals general toughness, speed, strength, skill, and hard work.
3. Ultra-endurance sports like the Tour de France are safer *with doping* than without.
4. American football would be safer without helmets (Peltzman effect). Helmets increase risky play and are used as a weapon.
Rugby outlawed protective gear which reduced injuries. Interestingly, it also reduced fights (which are used to enforce the norms against dirty play).
Rugby outlawed protective gear which reduced injuries. Interestingly, it also reduced fights (which are used to enforce the norms against dirty play).
5. Intellectual hipster take: David Beckham was great.
∙ Those who don't know football assume he was top.
∙ Football fans view him as overrated.
∙ Data nerds countersignal and agree with the first group that he was, in fact, *very very good*.
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/9kcTNWopvXFncXgPy/intellectual-hipsters-and-meta-contrarianism
∙ Those who don't know football assume he was top.
∙ Football fans view him as overrated.
∙ Data nerds countersignal and agree with the first group that he was, in fact, *very very good*.
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/9kcTNWopvXFncXgPy/intellectual-hipsters-and-meta-contrarianism
6. Most athletes are doping. Cycling is just the sport that gets checked most.
The marginal gains are too great to avoid it. Just doesn't get talked about.
Jamaican Athletics org doesn't have independent testing. Serena Williams locked herself in a panic room to avoid testers.
The marginal gains are too great to avoid it. Just doesn't get talked about.
Jamaican Athletics org doesn't have independent testing. Serena Williams locked herself in a panic room to avoid testers.
7. Athletes can't articulate their genius (think banal post-match interviews & mass-market sports-star-with-someone bios).
This inability may be the essence of the genius.
Hyper-conscious-awareness (required for insight) is counterproductive. https://twitter.com/campeters4/status/1280677633601138688?s=20
This inability may be the essence of the genius.
Hyper-conscious-awareness (required for insight) is counterproductive. https://twitter.com/campeters4/status/1280677633601138688?s=20
8. Youth tackle will be unthinkable in the future.
The most dangerous part of the game is unseen injuries: brain damage from consistent impact.
9-year-olds getting hit in the head 500 times in a season should not feel normal.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3825505/
The most dangerous part of the game is unseen injuries: brain damage from consistent impact.
9-year-olds getting hit in the head 500 times in a season should not feel normal.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3825505/
9. Black men are shorter than white men in the US.
People mistake this due to an availability heuristic: Black men are disproportionately represented in the NBA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Availability_heuristic
People mistake this due to an availability heuristic: Black men are disproportionately represented in the NBA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Availability_heuristic
10. The modern sports complex owes itself to British imperialism.
The British Empire imposed on the world legal systems, political systems, language, and sports.
The British Empire imposed on the world legal systems, political systems, language, and sports.
11. Sports are zero-sum games.
People's understanding of economics is poisoned by the ubiquity of sports.
People import our the notion of zero-sum athletic competition to understanding the economy because it's so vivid and intuitive: Someone wins. Someone loses.
People's understanding of economics is poisoned by the ubiquity of sports.
People import our the notion of zero-sum athletic competition to understanding the economy because it's so vivid and intuitive: Someone wins. Someone loses.
12. The stats revolution has irreversibly changed sports. But new methods won't add much value to sports with existing advanced analytics 
.
Big money is still there to be made in sports with nascent data analytics
.
. Big money is still there to be made in sports with nascent data analytics
.
13. Sports preferences are class signals.
Upper class prefer sports that highlight individualism and aesthetics (swimming, golf, tennis) and have a high entry cost (horse racing).
Lower class prefer team sports or sports that emphasize physical strength (basketball, boxing).
Upper class prefer sports that highlight individualism and aesthetics (swimming, golf, tennis) and have a high entry cost (horse racing).
Lower class prefer team sports or sports that emphasize physical strength (basketball, boxing).
14. Forcing kids to play sports is immoral. Hopefully, we will look back with disdain in the future.
However, it is the only way to become the best (unless societal norms around it radically change). https://twitter.com/ReachChristofer/status/1297920498672840711?s=20
However, it is the only way to become the best (unless societal norms around it radically change). https://twitter.com/ReachChristofer/status/1297920498672840711?s=20
15. Following politics is like supporting a sports team.
It is tribal group affiliation.
Sports provide a less-consequential outlet for tribality.
It is tribal group affiliation.
Sports provide a less-consequential outlet for tribality.
16. Sports are rituals of synchrony and solidarity.
Like junk-food is for our sweet tooth, supporting sports teams are superstimuli for our desire to be in harmony and solidarity with others.
h/t
@KevinSimler
https://meltingasphalt.com/sports-are-rituals-of-solidarity/
Like junk-food is for our sweet tooth, supporting sports teams are superstimuli for our desire to be in harmony and solidarity with others.
h/t
@KevinSimler
https://meltingasphalt.com/sports-are-rituals-of-solidarity/
17. Sport is often a severe wastage.
People spend absurd amounts of time and money to run or swim one second faster.
Redirecting this dedication would be valuable.
People spend absurd amounts of time and money to run or swim one second faster.
Redirecting this dedication would be valuable.
18. Sports fans are getting older.
A big cultural shift that isn't often mentioned. Ages grew by ~5 years over a decade, which is faster than the general population but slower than prime-time tv viewers.
h/t @michael_nielsen
https://twitter.com/michael_nielsen/status/1056381241853861889
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-sports-with-the-oldest-and-youngest-tv-audiences-2017-06-30
A big cultural shift that isn't often mentioned. Ages grew by ~5 years over a decade, which is faster than the general population but slower than prime-time tv viewers.
h/t @michael_nielsen
https://twitter.com/michael_nielsen/status/1056381241853861889
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-sports-with-the-oldest-and-youngest-tv-audiences-2017-06-30
19. Quidditch makes no sense.
It's badly designed and its popularity in the wizarding world is implausible.
It's hard to view, dangerous, has no time limit, and the value of the snitch is disproportionate and makes the other players meaningless most games.
It's badly designed and its popularity in the wizarding world is implausible.
It's hard to view, dangerous, has no time limit, and the value of the snitch is disproportionate and makes the other players meaningless most games.
20. It's hard to discriminate quality that's a level above yours.
If you play in the local div 8, it's hard to distinguish a 3rd div player from a 1st div.
Similarly, a local 1st div player finds it hard to distinguish someone ranked 100-200 from 10-20. https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/kXSETKZ3X9oidMozA/the-level-above-mine
If you play in the local div 8, it's hard to distinguish a 3rd div player from a 1st div.
Similarly, a local 1st div player finds it hard to distinguish someone ranked 100-200 from 10-20. https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/kXSETKZ3X9oidMozA/the-level-above-mine
21. Good is relative. The many levels of quality are unfathomable.
From your friend who can't catch. To the star in your work team. To the ex-age grade rep. To the battling pro. To top 100 in the world. To the best. To the best ever.
All are viewed as bad by the group above.
From your friend who can't catch. To the star in your work team. To the ex-age grade rep. To the battling pro. To top 100 in the world. To the best. To the best ever.
All are viewed as bad by the group above.
22. Sport has higher levels of sexism/homophobia than societal average.
Partly due to a selection effect (of traditionally masculine men). Lesbians are also overrepresented (but not in traditionally feminine sports like ice-skating) so there's more acceptance in female sports.
Partly due to a selection effect (of traditionally masculine men). Lesbians are also overrepresented (but not in traditionally feminine sports like ice-skating) so there's more acceptance in female sports.
23. Football (soccer) and hockey results are less representative of the quality of the teams.
Luck plays a larger role due to low scoring games.
This is why some people struggle to like it. Given this, football's immense popularity is a little confusing.
Luck plays a larger role due to low scoring games.
This is why some people struggle to like it. Given this, football's immense popularity is a little confusing.
24. Chess is not a sport.
Doing better or worse in sport is tied to physical expertise.
In chess, a surrogate or a computer could move the pieces for me, but it would still be me playing.
This is not true for serving a ball or shooting a free-throw. https://aeon.co/ideas/chess-and-bridge-are-games-that-don-t-belong-in-the-olympics
Doing better or worse in sport is tied to physical expertise.
In chess, a surrogate or a computer could move the pieces for me, but it would still be me playing.
This is not true for serving a ball or shooting a free-throw. https://aeon.co/ideas/chess-and-bridge-are-games-that-don-t-belong-in-the-olympics
25. Sport largely reveals character than causes it.
Controlling for selection effects, sport players aren't less obese (altho men, but not women, exercised more if they played sport)
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3069453
Controlling for selection effects, sport players aren't less obese (altho men, but not women, exercised more if they played sport)
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3069453
26. Watching a recording of the game isn't as good as watching live, even if you don't know the score.
We enjoy the feeling of synchrony.
You are part of something bigger than you. You are joined with 500 million others.
h/t @paulbloomatyale https://twitter.com/campeters4/status/1341450708864790530?s=20
We enjoy the feeling of synchrony.
You are part of something bigger than you. You are joined with 500 million others.
h/t @paulbloomatyale https://twitter.com/campeters4/status/1341450708864790530?s=20
27. Leagues > Knockouts, if you care about determining who is best.
Knockout tournaments are too influenced by luck.
This is especially bad in football or hockey. Portugal drew their way to a European championship.
https://twitter.com/campeters4/status/1341456805247950848?s=20
Knockout tournaments are too influenced by luck.
This is especially bad in football or hockey. Portugal drew their way to a European championship.
https://twitter.com/campeters4/status/1341456805247950848?s=20
28. Top athletes have expert memory. They intuitively discard irrelevant info and chunk important patterns together.
Chess masters easily recall board positions (but can't better average people if pieces are scattered randomly).
h/t @michael_nielsen https://twitter.com/michael_nielsen/status/1277078889492185088?s=20
Chess masters easily recall board positions (but can't better average people if pieces are scattered randomly).
h/t @michael_nielsen https://twitter.com/michael_nielsen/status/1277078889492185088?s=20
29. Learning is an active process of the learner. You can't pour knowledge into someone. It requires interest.
Kids who like sport learn deeply about it. It's low status, so isn't as impressive as citing Shakespeare or Tolstoy.
Stats is high status & sport is a great gateway.
Kids who like sport learn deeply about it. It's low status, so isn't as impressive as citing Shakespeare or Tolstoy.
Stats is high status & sport is a great gateway.
30. Fouls in soccer are broken. Incentives rule everything around me.
If you get fouled against in American football you get territory. Basketball you get points. Rugby you get points or territory.
In soccer, the opposition gets an opportunity to break and reset their defence.
If you get fouled against in American football you get territory. Basketball you get points. Rugby you get points or territory.
In soccer, the opposition gets an opportunity to break and reset their defence.
31. Pistorius shouldn't compete in open comps (even before the murder).
We all have biological disadvantages against Bolt or Phelps.
As Norm McDonald pointed out, perhaps obviously: he wouldn't be as fast without his artificial limbs.
We all have biological disadvantages against Bolt or Phelps.
As Norm McDonald pointed out, perhaps obviously: he wouldn't be as fast without his artificial limbs.
