Brief Case Statistics

Brief Case #1 – Task Outline – Spring 2015

Purpose of this activity: to incorporate your knowledge of descriptive statistics by organizing and summarizing a data set of values; then use this data to as a means of presenting an argument.

Estimated completion time: 3 – 6 hours

Due Date: beginning of class period Thursday, March 5, 2015

Problem:  Professional athletes often make exorbitant salaries from both the team and additional monies from endorsements. Pick a sport.  Pick a player.  The goal of your research team is to answer the following question?  Is __________________ worth his salary? (You do not have to consider endorsements in this analysis, only monies paid by the team.)

Complete the following:

(a)        First, do a little research.  How is salary distributed among team players? How is salary distributed among different players in the league who play the same position?  Then, look at your player’s statistics.  How does he compare against similar players across the league?  Research your team and league.

        As an example, suppose your sport is baseball and your player is the pitcher Clayton Kershaw. You would obtain information on the 2014 LA Dodger Salaries and starting pitcher salaries across the MLB. Then, look at the stats for that player’s position – perhaps # of wins or ERA.  Which Stat(s) would you choose to verify worth?

         You must cite your references in your final report! 

(b)        Use the information from your research to construct the following histograms: Salary in $ for the team, Salary in $ for the same position; Stats for player’s position; any other relevant information. Perhaps you think it would be a good idea to look at the player’s stats over time. Or make a box plot of his career stats compared with other top players.  Every team member should be responsible for at least one histogram and/or blox plot.

        Use the Excel Templates for Students in Canvas or use the directions on pp. 80-81 of textbook to make the histogram. Properly label your histogram (axes, title, etc.) Describe your histogram in terms of shape, center, spread, and unusual features. How many modes are there?  Do you have any outliers? Save your histogram. You will cut/paste it into your final report.

(c)        Calculate the Descriptive Statistics for each set of data used in your report. Your Data Table should look like the following:

Sample Size

Mode

Median

Sample Mean                                                

Sample Standard Deviation

Standard Error

                5 Number Summary

Minimum Value

Q1

Median

Q3

Maximum Value

IQR

Upper Fence

Lower Fence

Do you have any outliers?

What is the Z-score for your player’s salary compared with the league?

Compared with players in his/her position?  

(d)         Prepare a report which presents the results of your findings. Make sure that you discuss your plots and numerical summaries.  Answer the questions as outlined in parts (a) – (c) above. Make sure that you use the data to prove your case.