Winning Archives - On One Hand Business... On the Other Hand Sports

Winning and Losing – Gabriela Sabitini

March 11, 2015May 17, 2015 horvath Leave a comment

Most world-class athletes create the appearance they have never struggled with winning and losing during their careers. A closer look shows that is not the case.

Consider the case of Gabriela Sabitini. Sabatini reached number 3 in the world, but never attained the top ranking. Dealing with the challenges of winning and losing may have prevented her from reaching the top spot.

About a year and a half ago Sport 24 reported that winning and losing did not come easy for Sabitini. At times she creatively took the easy way out. She intentionally lost matches as a junior player to avoid having to talk to reporters.

“When I was younger and thought that I had to talk after winning a tournament, I often lost in the semifinals so I did not have to. It was that bad!” Sabatini told the Argentine newspaper La Nacion.

“I was very introverted. I had some issues at school because I was very inward-looking,” she said.

Sabatini, now 43, said her shyness was a major problem.

“I got very nervous at that point. But at the same time I was very competitive and I got frustrated when I did not win,” she said.

“I might lose the first set, when I was little, and I gave up on the match just because I was so angry that I could not bear having lost the first set.”

“I think my fame and my public profile had something to do with the fact that I did not become world number one.

“I loved to play, I was competitive, I wanted to win, that was all I knew. In the first few years tennis was a game. Later, it becomes a job,” she said. (October 18, 2013 http://www.sport24.co.za/)

The story about Sabitini’s challenges with winning and losing is old news, but the saga of athletes struggling to deal with winning and losing is an ongoing story for junior and world-class athletes in all sports.

How do you deal with winning and losing?

Which States do PAC 12 Women’s Basketball Players Reside in?

March 15, 2014November 13, 2016 horvath Leave a comment

This brief analysis evaluated rosters of women’s PAC-12 basketball teams to determine the residence of their players (in-state, out-of-state, or foreign country). It looked at information published on their athletic websites in March 2014. Players were included in the sample if their average playing time per game for the season was greater than 15 minutes.

The states with the leading number of players were California (39), Washington (11), Texas (7), and Arizona (5). About 70% of the players indicated their residence was in these 4 states. Six players claimed Canada as their residence.

Of the 88 players listed in the sample, 32 players, or 36.4%, were in-state players. Cal, USC, UCLA, and Washington had more than half its players from in-state. Two schools didn’t have any in-state players, Arizona and Oregon.

Residence of PAC-12 Women's Basketball Players — Residence of PAC-12 Women’s Basketball Players

There were 49 out-of-state players from the U.S., 55.7%, and 7 foreign players, 8.0%. Overall, 63.7% of the players were out-of-state.

Individually, the top 6 teams in the conference had winning records. Collectively, they won 69% of their games. As a group, the residence of their players follows:

54% in-state.
41% out-of-state U.S.
5% out-of-state foreign.

The bottom 6 teams had losing records. As a group they won 31% of their games. Collectively, the residence of their players follows:

18% in-state.
71% out-of-state U.S.
11% out-of-state foreign.

For more details see the report Residence of Top Players 2013-2014 PAC 12 Basketball Teams. This report identifies the home state or country of the top PAC 12 basketball players and compares differences between the men and women teams.

Are PAC 12 Mens’ Basketball Programs Bringing in Hired Guns to Win?

March 15, 2014November 13, 2016 horvath Leave a comment

In Division 1 men’s basketball, a premium is placed on winning because it is a revenue generating sport. A key to success is recruiting players who have “A” talent.

Are the universities in the PAC-12 bringing in “hired guns” to make their basketball programs successful? If so are they bringing in players from out-of-state or from other countries? Do PAC-12 players come from all over the U.S. or are they primarily from the Western United States? Are teams more successful if they have a higher percentage of in-state players?

This brief analysis evaluated rosters of men’s PAC-12 basketball teams published on their athletic websites in March 2014. Players were included in the sample if their average playing time per game for the season was greater than 15 minutes.

The states with the leading number of players were California (30), Texas (5), Arizona (4), Oregon (4), and Washington (4). About 55% of the players indicated their residence was in these 5 states.

Of the 86 players listed in the sample, 20 players, or 23.3%, were in-state players. Only Cal had more than half its players from in-state. Two schools didn’t have any in-state players, OSU and Washington.

There were 53 out-of-state players from the U.S., 61.6%, and 13 foreign players, 15.1%. Overall, 76.7% of the players were out-of-state. Six of the foreign players come from Canada, more than any state except California.

Are men's PAC-12 basketball programs bringing in hired guns to win? — Residence of players in men’s PAC-12 basketball programs.

Five schools didn’t have any foreign players (Arizona, Cal, Washington, UCLA, and Colorado).

Individually, the top 7 teams in the conference had winning records. Collectively, they won 61% of their games. As a group the residence of their players follows:

31% in-state.
55% out-of-state U.S.
14% out-of-state foreign.

The bottom 5 teams had losing records. As a group they won 35% of their games. Collectively, the residence of their players follows:

14% in-state.
70% out-of-state U.S.
16% out-of-state foreign.

Clearly, most men’s programs (at least in the PAC 12) look outside their state to find players to construct winning teams. This limited sample size shows that recruitment of out-of-state players may not guarantee a winning season. In addition it may be a questionable tactic for programs that need to build their fan base or generate alumni support.