Stathead Hockey is False: Bloggers Should Allow Discussion About The Controversy

The greatest travesty in hockey coverage today is the way that "stats" theories, which are far from proven, such as possession and "talentless shooters" are being shoved down the throats of hockey fans by statheads without much if any at all exposure to the alternative viewpoints. While other subjects like free agency and trades discussed by sports writers stress strong critical thinking skills that allow for a diversity of viewpoints to be shared and thus for fans to be encouraged to think strongly for themselves, the approach often advocated for use by the statheads is designed to encourage fans to swallow whole the information given to them without even thinking of having a dissenting opinion.

It is ever apparent by the way those bloggers who believe in statistics and analytics object to the presentation of alternative viewpoints in the media, that they do not have enough faith in their stats to allow for comparison. If alternatives to statistics and analytics are indeed bogus and reek of a lack of intelligence, one would certainly think that those who propagate these theories would have no fear of a sports writer who presents the information in an unbiased manner so as to encourage the readers to use strong critical thinking skills in order to decide for themselves.

The discussion of alternative viewpoints in blogs would further demonstrate respect for fans who come from a background of believing in alternatives like intangibles, thus making the readers more willing to also read about the theories of these statheads. Many fans are not learning what they need to know to understand the game of hockey or discuss the game intelligently because they realize that stats are being shoved down their throat without any attention at all being given to those who have a different view in the traditional media. This clearly does not match the rigors of critical thinking that are encouraged in other sports, and thus causes many fans to lose interest in hockey altogether.

With statistics and analytics being such broadly discussed topics, after trying in vain to hold back the onslaught of the majority and arrogant view, many writers are now choosing to simply ignore the debate and write about other things rather than offering a clear explanation and encouraging thoughtful discussion that requires fans to use strong critical thinking skills.

I imagine there are many fans that tune out bloggers who preach statistics and analytics because they are smart enough to realize the close-mindedness which seeks at all costs to quickly shut down the thoughts of those who dare to disagree. Fans are less willing to learn when bloggers take an exclusive approach that is utterly intolerant of other views, often discrediting those who hold such views as incompetent and unintelligent. This severely undermines the significant contributions of many writers who believe intangibles matter while denying the value of analytics.

Modified from Evolution is False: Public Schools Should Teach Intelligent Design